TENZING
Starring: Genden Phuntsok, Caitríona Balfe, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe, Tenzin Dalha, Samdrup Dorje Lama, and Thinley Lhamo
Director: Jennifer Peedom
NICK
Tenzing Norgay is a name you may be aware of without knowing the whole story. Bringing that story to the forefront is what director Jennifer Peedom does with Tenzing. As expected with a film about climbing Mount Everest, the visuals are vast and impressive, but it's the focus on Tenzing's (Genden Phuntsok) origins, drive, and personal connection to the mountain that are the heart of this film. It’s a surprisingly moving story of determination and perseverance that ended up being one of my biggest TIFF surprises.
QUENTIN
For better or worse, Tenzing feels like a biopic from the 90s. It doesn’t want to do much more than entertain…and, hey, if you happen to learn something along the way, all the better. It lightly touches on the racial and cultural hurdles that Tenzing Norgay (a committed Genden Phuntsok in his first English-speaking role) faced, but never with the weight or resonance they deserve. The film also fails to convey the true risks involved with climbing Everest, and Tom Hiddleston isn’t given much to do, either. But these are nitpicks, and while I could continue nitpicking, Tenzing remains an easy-going yet forgettable, crowd-pleaser.
AMARÚ
Tenzing is a really solid, crowd-pleasing movie. It’s full of heart carried by the amazing trio of Genden Phuntsok, Tenzin Dalha, and Samdrup Dorje Lama, who play Tenzing Norgay throughout his life. Dalha especially brought a light that made the telling of Tenzing’s life story more interesting than the Mount Everest climb. But that ultimately enhanced the characters’ journey and the film overall, which overcame some shallow cultural conflicts to center on the importance of life, purpose, and the spiritual connection to everything around us. Three-point-five reels for the film, plus another half for the heart.
This film was reviewed by Nick and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2026 Zurich Film Festival, respectively.