History is often written by conquerors, and it’s the British who get to claim they reached the top of Mt. Everest first. However, a closer look at the story in Jennifer Peedom’s film Tenzing reveals there was more to that human achievement than just the Union Jack waving in that famous photo—which was held by a man who was neither from the U.K. or any of her colonies. It was thanks in large part to a team of experienced Sherpas, men from the region who were employed to guide daredeviling European explorers to the mountain that refused to be conquered, and one ambitious expert, Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), who helped blaze a trail all the way to the top.
The movie about Tenzing’s life begins in his boyhood, growing up under the shadow of the great mountain, which the locals revere as a sacred goddess, Chomolungma. By chance, Tenzing meets a climbing party on their way to what they call Mt. Everest and his curiosity is piqued. Years later, he’s become an expert guide despite not belonging to the Sherpa tribe, and when a British expedition led by Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) arrives, he gets another chance to scale the unscalable mountain—but only if Hunt will accept him as part of the official climbing team, not just as the head of the Sherpas leading them up the mountain. Hurt agrees, and Tenzing makes an alliance with a fellow outsider in the group, Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), as they brave the elements, and the uncharted parts of the map, for a chance to make history.
But Tenzing’s story goes beyond the achievement that landed him in the history books. Luke Davies’ script also dives into the story behind the man, like the parents who had to abandon their son when he became ill on the road or the supportive wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo) who celebrated Tenzing’s first booking for an expedition. Beyond feeling driven by a spiritual cause to climb Chomolungma, he also wants to do this for his family, including his two daughters. Davies’ script may follow some familiar beats of a biopic, but it’s crafted in such a seamless way it doesn’t feel sluggish or trite. Filling in the personal sides of Tenzing’s story only further enriches the movie beyond standard adventure fare.
Peedom has trekked down this road before with her documentary Sherpa, which mentioned Tenzing and his friendship with Edmund in contrast to the modern-day tourism that has sprung up between the thrillseekers and the Sherpas who risk their lives guiding them up Everest. By the 1950s, when the summiting took place, there were fears that Westerners would stop coming if they reached the top of Everest, killing the industry where many local men have found steady employment. Tenzing is quite mindful of the tension between the two factions, using the protagonist’s experience moving between worlds as a way to explore how the hired Sherpas are treated differently both on and off the mountain. The movie dedicates time to address the jealousy around Tenzing’s privileged spot in the group as well as the inter-group tension around his outsider status.
While the movie explores these divisions, it also focuses on the friendship between Tenzing and Edmund. Since Edmund is a Kiwi and constantly reminded of it by the British expedition, the two are mutual outsiders in the group, and Edmund is the first to acknowledge Tenzing’s knack for this climbing business. Hiddleston takes a step back from a narrative that has probably focused on Edmund exclusively over the years, which allows Phuntsok to stand out as the film’s lead with a heartfelt performance. As Tenzing, Phuntsok walks a fine line between leading the Sherpas and earning the respect of the Englishmen who hired him. Even in moments of panic, he’s determined to fight back against the elements while his counterparts look around in fear. While mostly tough and stoic, Phuntsok’s role also allows him to show love and weep for both joy and loss. It’s a surprisingly emotional journey that this character has rarely—if ever—been permitted to take on the big screen.
Whether you know the mountain as Chomolungma or Mt. Everest, its presence still looms large in the global imagination. Many movies and TV shows have attempted to tell this larger-than-life story, but by reorienting the focus onto one of history’s underappreciated heroes, Tenzing widens the lens so that the entire team gets credit for their fearless achievement, not just the white guys with passports. In a way, Tenzing restores a bit of humanity to the names left in the footnotes of history books for too long.
Director: Jennifer Peedom
Writer: Luke Davies
Starring: Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe, Thinley Lhamo, Caitríona Balfe
Release Date: October 9, 2026; October 16, 2026 (Apple TV)
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