Entertainment
Apple TV’s New Biopic ‘Tenzing’ Officially Rewrites What History Got Wrong
In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest in just seven weeks. As intense as their experience was, the story of that climb has not always been told with a level of balance that reflected the actual experience. While Hillary became the name history books would print as the climb’s victor, in Western retellings, Tenzing was often reduced to just the “Sherpa” who worked beside him. But that’s all changed with director Jennifer Peedom’s Tenzing from Apple TV Studios, which gently but firmly corrects that imbalance. It never turns its historical tale into a lecture, but it does give Tenzing the space to be seen as who he fully was: a husband, a father, a climber and most of all, a dreamer who never gave up.
While that dream passes through three actors who play Tenzing at different stages of his life, the film’s most moving moment belongs to Tenzin Dalha, who plays the renowned climber in his early 20s. Midway through the film, Tenzing has finally been given the chance to work as a Sherpa, but upon sharing the news with his wife, Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), he falls into her arms and cries. It’s a simple moment, but Dalha makes every bit of that relief visible without overplaying it. Those tears come from years of wanting something, being turned away from it, and still refusing to let his dream go.
The nearly two-hour feature finds its heart not just in dreaming big, but in working and holding out unwavering hope of reaching something when the world doesn’t exactly make room for you. And while Tenzing occasionally takes its time with its story, Peedom tells it with enough warmth, humor, and heart to make the journey worth it.
What Is ‘Tenzing’ About?
Moving across different stages of Norgay’s life, from his childhood (Samdrup Dorje Lama) in the Himalayas to his formative years as a young adult (Dalha), Tenzing follows the titular character’s respect and admiration for Chomolungma — the Tibetan word for Mount Everest. He never once sees it as a conquest, but rather a sacred symbol reminiscent of home. As Tenzing gets older (Genden Phuntsok), climbing becomes less of a distant dream and more of a life that he actively pursues. With the help of expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe), he starts getting opportunities to join climbing teams and eventually becomes one of the most experienced men on the mountain.
By the time Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) recruits him as head Sherpa for the British attempt, Tenzing has already climbed Everest six times, but sadly never reached the summit. This time, though, he asks to be treated more as a member of the team, rather than someone just supporting their efforts. That final expedition is where the movie really finds its legs, both emotionally and visually. Tenzing finds an unexpected partner (and friend) in New Zealand mountaineer Ed Hillary (Tom Hiddleston), an individual who also feels like an outsider. As the pair find common ground and immense respect for the expedition, theirs becomes one of the film’s sweetest relationships.
In addition to the characters’ relationships, the cinematography is a real standout. As Peedom sets it up, the mountain never becomes just scenery sitting politely in the background. Stefan Duscio’s visuals make Mount Everest feel beautiful but also genuinely frightening, often shrinking its climbers against long stretches of snow and rock. It’s gorgeous in every way but also very humbling to watch them disappear into such a sprawling landscape. Across the film’s 125 minutes, it’s clear that reaching the summit is not just about strength or trust, but also about recognizing the mountain is bigger than you are.
Phuntsok and Hiddleston Make ‘Tenzing’ Feel Lived-In
This is a movie that is, in every way, Genden Phuntsok’s. He never needs to force his performance to make a point, which makes Tenzing all the more likable. Sprinkling in warmth and mischief, Phuntsok balances the weight of the mission with a real sense of who Tenzing was beyond it. There is also a calmness to his performance that makes the character feel present, even when he’s saying very little. In those moments, there is so much happening in his eyes, particularly when grief slips into the story or when Tenzing looks toward Chomolungma.
Meanwhile, Hiddleston is just as smart in the way he approaches Hillary. Never once does he overpower Phuntsok or turn Hillary into a more familiar, recognizable face from history books. But while the two are amazing in their respective roles, one of the greatest joys of Tenzing is watching Hiddleston and Phuntsok’s characters grow together. It makes their friendship all the more believable too, rather than something whipped up for the final act. That payoff comes when the pair reaches the summit; their bond feels less like a historical footnote, and more like the natural endpoint of everything they built together. And like any truly sincere actor, Hiddleston understands how this is Tenzing’s story, so he isn’t interested in wrestling it away from Phuntsok.
The supporting cast fills out this world without overcrowding it. Lhamo gives Dawa a nice warmth that makes her relationship with Tenzing all the more grounded, while Balfe brings a light touch to Jill, especially in the film’s funnier moments with the young adult Tenzing. And Dafoe’s John offers a lot more warmth than expected. He’s firm and demanding, but never reduced to some stiff British authority stereotype; there is genuine care in how he leads his team, almost like a good coach who knows when to push and when to trust those on the field. All working together, this cast keeps Tenzing feeling like a story about humanity, instead of a polished history lesson.
Peedom’s Documentary Background Gives ‘Tenzing’ Its Edge
In terms of stylization and format, Tenzing’s nonlinear structure ends up being one of its smartest choices. This could have easily become distracting, as the film moves neatly between Norgay’s childhood and the summit, but Peedom’s background in documentary filmmaking gives these transitions a more observational feel. She is good at catching the truth between people, whether it’s the pauses, a look, or even the small reactions that say more than a speech could. It’s this setup that also helps the movie avoid feeling like a checklist of important moments from Tenzing’s life we need to be aware of.
All that said, where Tenzing does stumble is in how much it clearly admires its subject. That is not a bad thing, but for a biopic, it polishes Tenzing into a hero so thoroughly that the film sometimes leaves little room for the messier parts of his existence. And there is clearly a complexity sitting right there as the film underscores tension between Tenzing and his Sherpa peers, who treat him differently for speaking English or having previously climbed the mountain. But it’s never fully dug into, even with that resentment simmering below the surface. Instead, it just resolves itself without much issue.
Some ideas also circle back more than they need to, and the pacing slows in spots because of it. But even so, those stretches never completely stall the film. Thankfully, Peedom knows when to break up heavier material with humor or let the danger of the expedition take over — there are definitely a lot of those nail-biting moments. It’s at these points that Tenzing has a strong physical presence that pulls you in through sound and picture. From the crunch of boots against snow or the sharp crack of a mountaineering ice axe, the elements Tenzing and his team are up against add a level of exhaustion and tension that feels close to home.
More importantly, Peedom never loses sight of what it takes to make those moments work. By the time Tenzing and Hillary reach the summit, the scene is one of the film’s best and most heartwarming because it makes every moment before it all the bigger. While the film could be touted as a portrait of faith and hard work, it’s also about the people who carry that dream with you. And when Tenzing reaches the top, it earns every emotion waiting there.
Tenzing will stream on Apple TV on October 16.
- Director
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Jennifer Peedom
- Writers
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Luke Davies
- Producers
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Emile Sherman, Liz Watts, Iain Canning
- Genden Phuntsok gives a quiet, deeply expressive lead performance.
- Hiddleston makes Hillary a generous, compelling partner to Tenzing.
- Jennifer Peedom gives Tenzing Norgay’s story the perspective and emotional weight it deserves.
- The mountain sequences are gorgeous, tense, and genuinely immersive.
- The pacing drags in a few stretches.
- The film admires Tenzing so much that it sometimes smooths over the messier parts of who he was.
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