Scaling Mount Kilimanjaro is a tough challenge, even for the best able-bodied athletes, but it becomes truly remarkable when a bilateral amputee accomplishes it. What’s even more astonishing is that Mandy Horvath ascended the tallest free-standing mountain globally without using prosthetic devices. The Ascent details Horvath’s intense journey in June 2021, and when she reached the peak on June 16, she made history as the first female double-amputee to pull off this incredible feat.

This film is put together by three directors: Francis Cronin, Edward Drake, and Scott Veltri. It blends sports documentary with true crime, exploring the mysterious incident that led to Horvath losing both her legs at the age of 21. It’s really harrowing how she didn’t recall how she got to the train tracks; she believed her drink had been spiked by a date rape drug. At first, her accident was dismissed as a suicide attempt rather than a crime; however, there are obvious indications of foul play.

As they say, never tell a woman she can’t do it. The Colorado Springs native is a spunky and spirited woman who clearly loves the outdoors, and she refuses to let her physical limitation hold back her adventurous nature. She did go through bouts of depression, which is understandable given how drastically her life had changed, but she was able to overcome it.

The highlight of the movie is definitely the climbing scenes, showcasing how Horvath discovers healing and camaraderie with local guides, especially Julius John White, who has scaled Kilimanjaro countless times. There’s a memorable conversation between them where they bond over being labeled ‘crazy’ for their climbing dreams, and it’s really uplifting to hear how they’re able to tune out the naysayers.

Since she didn’t use her prosthetic legs, she had to rely on her hands to scale the almost 20,000-foot mountain. A key aspect of her prep was picking the right gloves and hand protection, and she ended up going through more than 50 pairs of gloves, even getting infections on her hands at one point. The film captures the tough challenges of this climbing adventure, including intense physical and emotional stress, along with dealing with the harsh elements, such as volcanic dust, freezing temperatures, and high-altitude dangers like oxygen deprivation.

The cool graphics help guide viewers along the way, and the uplifting score by Adam Peters (who composed the Oscar-winning doc ICARUS) is both emotional and vibrant. It brings in the perfect triumphant rhythms that match Horvath’s journey. My only issue is with the editing that jumps between the climbing scenes and the investigation into the Steele City, Nebraska, train accident. The switch between these two parallel storylines isn’t always seamless, and the interviews with Horvath’s family and those involved in the investigations can come off a bit tedious.

That said, Horvath’s journey is truly inspiring, embodying the ultimate human tale of resilience and the limits of endurance. It recently won the SXSW Grand Jury Award in Documentary Feature. I think this film would appeal to sports enthusiasts as well as true crime fans. It’s definitely worth checking out for anyone in search of an amazing and uplifting tale that showcases the triumph of the human spirit.

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