"The Summit" film set in Annapurna

"The Peak", a film set in Annapurna, is the latest work by Basque director and producer Ibon Cormenzana. It was released in cinemas on 25 March. The film tells the story of two mountaineers, Mateo and Ione, during their journey to climb one of the most dangerous mountains in the world, the Mount Annapurna.

Below, you can read important information about this interesting production, such as a brief description of its plot and its technical specifications.

Plot summary

"La Cimais basically a story of self-improvement of two mountaineers who find themselves on the Annapurna base camp. From that meeting, in order to survive, they will have to start a relationship based on companionship.

Mateo, played by Javier Rey, has the personal challenge of conquering the summit of the mountain, after having gone through the tragedy of the death of his partner. Despite the suffering he has lived through, he wants to achieve the goal of reaching the summit of the mountain. the top of the mountain and thus fulfil an old promise made to his girl.

Ione, played by Patricia López Arnaiz, is an experienced mountaineer who, after having achieved the goal of climbing 14 eight-thousanders, chooses to isolate herself in a house in the middle of the mountain, cut off from all human contact and with the only company of her dog.

During Mateo's climb, an accident leaves him unconscious and seriously injured. After a few hours he is rescued by Ione, who takes him to the refuge where she is, alone and far from the world.

Both Mateo and Ione have experienced a lot of suffering and in order to continue living they have to face their past. For this reason, the simplest and most personal moments between the two, such as being in the hut or in the tent, can be highlighted in a special way.

With their own internal conflicts, and despite the distances between them, the two characters will meet to live together an adventure that will allow them to face human limits.

It is important to highlight the hard work and intense physical preparation that both actors had to put in, which can be seen on the screen. In many scenes, the audience will notice that they were in charge of the stunts themselves.

It can be concluded that "La Cima is a film capable of motivating the viewer to reflect, brought to life with two first-rate performances by Javier Rey and Patricia López Arnaiz.

Nature as a protagonist

In addition to Ione and Mateo, in "La Cima nature is presented as another protagonist. The director, Cormenzana, wanted to transmit how simple life can be, showing through a camera the immensity offered by nature. mountain scenery.

The director also said that, while keeping the main focus on the protagonists, he wanted to reflect the necessary realism so that the audience could get closer to the experiences that mountaineers go through in real life.

In this way, nature, with its hostility and simplicity, became one of the main elements of the film. Due to the excellent cinematography by Albert Pascual, viewers can also go into the mountains and sometimes feel the same anguish that the characters go through.

However, there was an additional level of difficulty for the physical and technical execution, caused by the demands of filming in extreme conditions, in intense cold and in mountain scenery with their own associated risks.

In general, the landscapes shown in "La Cima are really impressive, there are images that are totally admirable, in some cases because of the beauty of what is shown or because of the effort that must have been made to complete the filming.

La Cima" technical sheet

This film had a running time of 85 minutes and in addition to the excellent performances of Javier Rey (Mateo) and Patricia López Arnaiz (Ione), "La Cima also features Blanca Apilánez and Kandido Uranga.

It is directed by Ibon Cormenzana, who is best known for his work as a producer on "Snow White", "Mother" and "Mediterranean", among others. The Bilbao native is back behind the camera after directing "Alegría, tristeza" in 2018.

The original plot is by Ibon Cormenzana himself and the script was written by Nerea Castro Andreu. The rest of the technical team is formed by Albert Pascual in the direction of photography, David Gallart in the editing, Paola Olaz in the music, Zaloa Ziluaga in the Art Direction, Nerea Torrijos in the wardrobe, Olga Cruz in the make-up and hairdressing and Fabiola Ordoyo in the sound design.

The film had to be shot over a period of six weeks in the Basque Country, Catalonia, Aragon, the Alps and Nepal. The production of "La Cima is produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures, Aixerrota Films, LaZona Producciones, Dorothy Films AIE in co-production with Noodles Production (France).

This feature film also had the participation of EiTB and Televisión de Cataluña, as well as the support of the Basque Government. Filmax will be responsible for distribution in Spain and international sales.

Conclusion

"La Cima This is a film with a certain complexity, in which the director wanted to present some of the values of mountaineering, such as loyalty and companionship, through the narrative of a story based on self-improvement, framed in an impressive natural setting, both for its beauty and its hostility.

On the other hand, it touches on two themes that, despite their importance, are not usually shown on the big screen, such as the depression and failure that elite sportsmen and women can experience when they have reached the highest point of their career, or the grief of people after the loss of a loved one and the difficulty of getting rid of this feeling.