Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake (2022) User Reviews

First review ever after 20 years of IMDB membership: As an Israeli living in Israel, I felt ashamed watching this, and I still do -

[shainatural · 7/10 · 15 January 2023]

My wife and I watched this last night and we couldn't stop telling each other how ashamed we both felt throughout the episodes.

There was no way whatsoever to justify the actions of the Israelis in the destroyed village - you go looking for food and supplies - and instead you take the cash and personal belongings of those who are presumably dead now - and in what excuse? This is absolutely irrational, no excuse could justify this action.

I went googling after these guys, and found an article published by a local news station here in Israel about them and their response to Netflix's so-called 'misrepresentation' of the 'truth'.

So, sorry guys - I read your response to this docuseries and still we do not agree with what you did. It was just plain wrong.

On part, it's hard to judge someone who got caught in a horrifying situation like this, Nonetheless - I would NEVER do such a thing.

I apologize in the name of the human beings who would never do such a thing (Israeli or not - just human beings!)

As for the docuseries it's - I really liked the 'droned 3D effects'. The live footage was also something priceless. All in all - 7/10 for bringing an important event to our screens.

One of these plots is not like the other

[ravenclaw_girlrules · 8/10 · 7 October 2022]

I genuinely cannot believe the plot of two grave robbers made it into this documentary, and that their perspective was even entertained. They really tried to paint a local the villain in the heat of a disaster that claimed 9,000 lives. They claimed to venture to the town for supplies and returned with a villager's money, which doesn't even make sense. How does money contribute in a survival situation? Why would you open a locked chest to "protect" what is inside and "return" it later?

Other than that, this documentary was freaking fantastic. The sheer amount of footage was astonishing. I can't imagine the horror everyone experienced, even after seeing it. I really enjoyed the contrast in experience between the locals and the mountain climbers - it is really an illustration of privilege, where privilege helps and where it is useless. And how stunned the privileged are when the playing field is leveled, at least for a brief time.

Good vs Evil

[kiltman-86141 · 8/10 · 13 October 2022]

I'm not talking nature's reaction, ie the earthquake. It's about how, in and despite a crisis, for some individuals, greed, insensitivity and selfishness take over. Initially we're introduced to a number of people involved in the crisis, from different perspectives: as locals, as climbers, as expedition leaders. The film centers on three locations affected by the earthquake and the stories are woven together well. Sadly, in spite of the heroics of many people in all three locations, what we end up seeing is selfishness, greed and arrogance that borders on sociopathic. The film is worth watching as both a record of this tragic event but also how human beings can turn away from social responsibilities.

Weird documentary

[Kol88 · 6/10 · 25 October 2022]

I've started watching this because I like anything that is even remotely connected to Everest, this is definitely a weird documentary first episode is good it pulls you in but the rest of it is unreal, this is a documentary about catastrophic earthquake however we are focused on worst people I've seen in a while. You have a some guys from Israel that stole money from ruins of a home after earthquake everywhere are ruins and these guys broke the case with money, and afterwards they blame the circumstances for that?! Who does that, I was rooting for the Nepal army to beat them. Then we have some dude that wants to have his money worth, like it doesn't matter it was a biggest earthquake in decades, that so many people are dead, that there are no supplies, that there are avalanches from aftershocks, no this dude paid to go to the top and he doesn't take no for an answer?! He is really most punchable dude I've seen, sadly he survived. Again I don't know what to think, there are some nice shoots of scenery and some things are done ok, but in general interviewing only these awful people and not many of the Nepalese people who lost everything. This could definitely be done in a better way. It's really a display of worst humans I've seen in a while, not Nepalese people but those who came to climb the mountain, so if you are searching for that this is a documentary for you.

Superb

[ajhyndman-19494 · 9/10 · 8 October 2022]

I obviously remember this event, but had no idea of the full destruction. The video footage is superb, and horrifying at the same time. Really well put together documentary as well worth a watch.

The Israelis, wtf are you doing? You go to find food but think that's a good idea? Shame on you, made me feel sick, stealing from the dead in a poor country 24hrs after their village is destroyed. They were lucky not to be lynched.

Netflix is hit and miss with documentaries, this is certainly a hit. We'll produced and laid out, could actually have been slightly longer, however I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

This is the first time ever that I decided to give NO RATING. Why? Read below...

[Erik_Surewaard · 9 October 2022]

Over 9,000 people died in the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Practically all of them nepal people. And this documentary focusses mainly on the rich western people that were in "need" on Mount Everest. And their "need" isn't like that of people in e.g. Kathmandu that were buried alive under piles of concrete and steel. Their "need" was arising mostly from panic and/or despair.

The main issue that I want to raise, is that this documentary has its priorities wrong. It should not be primarily focussed on the stories of the rich western people whom use sherpa's - nepali people that carry all the food and supplies like oxygen - as slaves. No, it should instead be focussed on the real suffering that occured in villages and Kathmandu.

In the current setup, it is like there being a major earthquake in San Francisco and a TV company making a documentary about a couple of rich Russian Oligarchs. Oligarchs that would have been visiting the area of San Francisco with their capitalist boats/ships during the earthquake. And it would be these rich Oligarchs, which would be portrayed in that documentary as being the ones most in need and as the major victims of that San Francisco earthquake... That wouldn't be fair, would it?!

So mainly because of this issue, I for once decided to NOT give a rating. Why?! Because although I was captured by the immensely beautiful videoshots of the Mount Everest landscape, I think that the priorities are wrong. Giving this show a high IMDb rating would not be fair to all the suffering and neglect of where the real pain occured after this earthquake: i.e. The poor nepali people that were buried under the debris in cities and villages. And giving it a low IMDb rating would also not be fair. Because the documentary clearly has some positive things. I therefore hope that you can understand my reasoning for not rating this show/documentary.

I agree with the comments here

[Mehki_Girl · 7/10 · 30 December 2022]

My sentiments are with everyone else's. I found it annoying as well that more focus was not on the Nepalese people, but on a bunch of selfish non-citizens, who despite death and destruction all around them couldn't take in the gravity of the situation. It was me, me, me.

I also wish the documentary makers had tried to include more before and after photos especially of the decimated valley.

The documentary focuses on three areas - base camp, Kathmandu the capital of Nepal, and Lantang valley.

Like everyone else, I'm appalled by the behavior of the Israelis and by the guy who paid his money and despite the fact that 9,000 people were dead, many were still buried under the rubble, and people had died at the base camps on the mountain, he wanted his money's worth and for people to risk their lives to take him up on the mountain.

The israelis' story didn't ring true and it was especially offensive that they tried to paint the Nepalese people as violent, instead of grieving people who were aggrieved at their behavior after they had touched and removed the belongings of their deceased citizens. The entire village, except for one building that was close to the base of the mountain, was completely destroyed.

They weren't looking for food; they had decided take advantage of the situation and to loot artifacts and souvenirs. I don't care how they spin that story -

that's my take on the situation.

The footage is astounding and what's really astounding is right when the world was crumbling around them and a huge amount of snow, ice, and rock was coming down the mountain right at them, people were still using their cameras, instead of running.

At least the documentary had the decency to end on the real tragedy and sorrow of the Nepalese people.

I hope the Napoli's government shuts the mountain down. It's no longer a sport, if you could call climbing on top of the mountain and then dying on it, a sport and leaving all your garbage and feces all over it, is a sport.

Nowadays it's just simply people risking their lives to drag a bunch of delusional unfit entitled people up a mountain and then dragging them back down again. Why do they "climb"? Bragging rights?

Nah, close the whole thing down.

Sometimes you have to save people from their own idiocy.

Despite our complaints, it's well worth seeing if for the visuals alone and to get some idea of the devastation that was visited upon Nepal. It's only a matter of time before another one hits.

Amazing, fascinating, terrifying. You may think you know alot about the Nepal event, but this showed so much more that happened from a human level.

[rchosen-193-5535 · 9/10 · 7 October 2022]

Like most people, I remember the footage of the earthquake from Nepal in 2015. I remember seeing buildings collapse, fall apart and one or two avalanche videos. It was horrible. When I see this series was released on Netflix I figure I would watch it. Turns out its more then just some normal documentary where a narrator talks and they show you various things you have already seen before.

Instead it's a multi-episode series in which survivors share their stories, along with new footage from what it was like at ground level. Especially up on the various bases of Everest. At times you see footage and your heart races. In other cases you just see a person talking about something and you can see yourself in that situation and afraid.

This is an excellent documentary. You will get viewpoints from tourists to guides to the average citizens. It puts everything into even more perspective about how tragic the event was. And the pace of each episode is very nice. There are no rushed stories, no loud music trying to drum up emotion, just raw footage of people talking about the events and of course raw recorded footage from that day. I will say, while I don't think I could ever afford to travel to another country, nor handle mountain climbing, this documentary made me have zero interest in ever doing it. Seeing how dangerous it is. What happened literally happened in an instant on the mountain itself. People had zero warning or time to do anything but think their lives were about to end.

The ONLY thing annoying was in the last episode when the Israelis guys made excuses that they felt attacked and they were actually "good people". After a place was wiped out, they broke open a locked box and took all the money out. Then when caught people of course got mad. Then later then found a GPS device and didn't tell anyone because they were afraid for their lives. Give me a break guys, you are terrible people.

Misleadingly titled documentary is worth seeking out

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 19 October 2022]

As Episode 1 of "Aftershock - Everest and the Nepal Earthquake" (2022 release from the UK; 3 episodes; total running time 149 minutes) opens, it is "Saturday, 25 April 2015, Mount Everest", as we see several climbers at the Kumba Icefall just before noon, and a devastating avalanche is descending Everest. We then go to "Three Days Earlier, Everest Base Camp", as we are introduced to several of the climbers... At this point we are less than 5 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this documentary mini-series is directed by Olly Lambert ("One Day In Gaza"). Here Lambert looks back to the truly awful events that happened in Nepal. Please note that the documentary is misleadingly titled. Yes, Everest is featured, but only in about one-third of the movie, Another third deals with how people in Nepal's poorly constructed capital Kathmandu deal with the events. And another third deals with how people in the LangTang valley and village deal with the events. But of course "Aftershock - Kathmadu and the Nepal Earthquake" or "Aftershock - The LangTang Valley and the Nepal Earthquake" doesn't have the same ring to it... Along the way, people that survived it all now tell their tale. "We acted out of survival instinct", comments one. The documentary includes both amazing and frankly frightening footage. I don't recall having seen Kathmandu in such vivid detail. And we also get not only the very good, but also the very ugly (cue: the 3 Israelis... what in the world were they thinking?). Last but not least, please do not confuse this documentary with a 2022 documentary from the US simply called "Aftershock".

"Aftershock - Everest and the Nepal Earthquake" recently premiered on Netflix. I binge-watched all 3 episodes last night, and these 2 1/2 hours just flew by. If you are in the mood to see the devastation of a poor country (which also happens to have Mount Everest) caused by a massive earthquake, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Riveting, Harrowing

[helenahandbasket-93734 · 8/10 · 8 October 2022]

Parts seem to drag a bit but for the most part, it moves along at a good pace.

There's a lot of skipping between locations and going back and forth in time- stick to a timeline and move forward. If there's backstory needed, then tell that first before moving ahead.

It's fascinating what people will rationalize in the name of survival, and at some point, for some people, surviving took a back seat.

I'll not give away one of the underlying plots, but will say that from the moment Yaar starts telling his version, it feels manipulative, gross and selfish. There's absolutely no reason to do what was done, and leaving items exactly where you found them would have allowed their family members to find it. I can completely understand the drive to survive and to find necessities to carry on but to do what he did should make him ashamed.

Interesting!

[legra66 · 7/10 · 12 October 2022]

I love an adventure as the next person buy you have to wonder mindset of individuals who knowing there was a bad earthquake the year before, did not think to research more about the regularity of these.

As for the individuals interviewed, my thoughts:- The Iranian lady was over dramatic. Went from being quiet to extreme sport adventure, trying to prove what, only she knows. The Israeli's, was not surprised at their actions, we see these too many times, childish, arrogant and entitlement. Then the American who would rather die doing something adventurous than everyday chore. Well, he soon saw sense. Hope this was a lesson to all involved. It is the Nepalese I truly felt for, so sad.

Infuriating!

[Marie_Kreutz · 8/10 · 12 October 2022]

This docuseries was extremely well documented and just completely riveting! The beautiful scenery and the power of nature was absolutely overwhelming and the editing keeps you on the egde of your seat the whole time.

This docu sadly also shows the worst in people. I will not spoil anything, but there are some young guys (three friends) that just made me extremely angry for what they did! I actually yelled at the screen at one point, because these guys were so selfish, rude and just outright a**holes.

The after effects of natural disasters are still quite impossible to comprehend sometimes and I feel so sad for those beautiful locals affected.

Great Documentary; Three TERRIBLE Characters

[truththe · 7/10 · 27 November 2023]

While this was an expertly done documentary, from a visual and story-telling perspective, I can't help but list out the three characters who made this almost unwatchable:

1. The Israelis: as other reviewers mentioned, I am not sure why the directors gave so much airtime to this group. Again, as other reviewers mentioned, they were clearly up to no good, showing absolutely zero respect, robbing the dead, and when they get caught, they turn to the famous Israeli pasttime: playing the victim. Honestly, so much of these characters reminds viewers of that one state in the Middle East: disrespecting another culture, stealing, looting, creating havoc, acting like the victim...if you catch my drift...Also, how SELFISH, to use the GPS comm only for themselves, and hide it from the rest of the survivors. Again, see point above regarding victim complex embedded in their DNA...

2. The American: thousands dead, hundreds of thousands displaced...but not, Pat, our American hero, still wants to climb to the top because he "paid top dollar" for the "excursion." Totally detached from reality, but not as much as our friends in #1.

3. Sara: spends an entire episode railing on being treated like a girl and how much equal to and better she is than her male counterparts. But when the first flight out of the danger zone is only for less-able bodied elderly and women, she doesn't miss the opportunity to reserve her seat. Classic feminist thought process.

If you can ignore these three, worth the watch.

Respect the country that you visit and their people

[constanza-nm · 5/10 · 4 January 2023]

From the moment that they showed the three Israelis friends ass naked pictures I knew I this documentary was going to disappointing me. Such a huge tragedy and so much runtime dedicated about foreign people that was there just because they wanted to have a "crazy" adventure. I love watching documentaries about Everest and climbers. I know by now that a lot of people that climbs Everest isn't actually a climber, they have money and this obsessive dream, but why would you make a documentary focused on these people? The white guy that was willing to go over everybody to go to the summit? A whole country devastated and you choose that narrative. Honestly, I don't remember seeing a doc with less likeable characters, because the thing is you could make a movie about how terrible these people were during this time (why would you do that I don't know, but you could) but this film doesn't even bother to make a point of how terrible they were.

Everest: draining the swamp

[rbrb · 7/10 · 10 October 2022]

This is a 3 part documentary short series about the Nepal earthquake and aftershock when around 9,000 people died.

But the main focus is on a bunch of characters who pay a lot of money to go and climb Mount Everest.

In my view it would be difficult to find a group of people who are so selfish and irritating.

These people relate their experiences in contrast to the locals who are also interviewed who clearly also find these foreign individuals annoying in the extreme.

Those in charge of these climbs seem like mainly from the USA and Australia and the impression I get they are control freaks but fairly clueless and high on something.

One female from the middle east- climbing for the first time- harps on about the terrible experience she went through but no where does she (or any others from the mountain) show any real sympathy for the 9,000 dead.

Her schreeching moaning is so exasperating!

Another group of middle easterners are accused of trying to steal money from some local victims until they are saved by one of their own.

And equally many of the locals are portrayed badly as if they are criminals or former cons.

In some cases they are!

Even a government official is so full of himself and admits the overseas rescue team must not be given credit for saving a boy lost in the rubble.

Difficult to rate this picture as maybe the portrayals are realistic and honest.

Six and a half rounded up=

7/10.

Brilliant documentary but the Israelis shouldn't have had airtime

[joanamarah · 9/10 · 28 December 2022]

One of the best documentaries I've seen in a while. The amount of actual footage of the disaster they used was brilliant and it made it even more interesting to watch.

The stories and the people telling their point of view made it even more personal and emotional. The only thing I didn't like, I think everyone agrees with, is the fact the Israelis got any sort of airtime. They tried to paint the picture that the locals and everyone around them were violent and the bad guys but clearly they were the vile ones. Even when they tried to make themselves look better there was no sincerity which is shocking and considering they were in the military too makes it all the more disgusting at how selfish they were. Even when they used their GPS device, it was all about them and not for everyone.

As a last note, I really liked the female photographer who was capturing all the moments in everyone's story. It gave it a much more personal touch and she's really talented too.

The scenery shot by the guys climbing the mountain, amazing.

[paulc-35132 · 7/10 · 7 October 2022]

The personal stories in this docu-series really bring a tear to one's eye and i am not easily bought to tears. There's a mixture of rich mountain climber and poor local guide, all stuck in this natural disaster with ice blocks the size of cars and some bigger like the size of a house! Within this series it shows how much this kind of adventure costs lives but also bringing people together.

I was impressed with the story, I love a true story and this is up there with one if the most compelling.

Well overall i really enjoyed this docu-series and I think most of you will too, just remember it's damn scary place to start with, let alone mother nature having her say.

Tale of Devastation, Hardship of Local(e)s and Selfish, GREEDY insensitive Tourists.

[r_farr-53489 · 8/10 · 9 October 2022]

Interesting and informative documentary regarding the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Have seen other programs on this subject, however this program surprised me more for the behavior (and coverage of the behavior) of many of the "tourists" specifically the international climbers & hikers caught in the situation. Horrible, selfish (criminal) behavior without apology. While many are rush to help in the face of devastating events this program shows how for some its a race to the bottom in their attempts to achieve and improve, if possible, their own ends (whatever the end might be) without regard for/at the expense of anyone other than themselves. Horrible, but makes for good screaming at the screen...

Not really that shocking...

[kammoun-samer · 7/10 · 15 February 2023]

This documentary in a way represents how life is. An Israeli took what was not his and played the victim afterwards, westerners disrespecting local cultures and telling us why they are right and selling it as perseverance, the dead are forgotten, those whose lives have been destroyed remain that way, failures of governments to protect their people, exploitation of hardships. In no way I like to generalize things as there are always exceptions, but I was too infuriated to let this slide. Hopefully the dead are resting in peace and the injured have recovered physically and mentally. My deepest sympathies goes to the local villagers who lost everyone and everything precious to them. May the westerners one day learn that they are not superior to the rest of the world.

A solid attempt to capture this tragedy

[Siddhartha14 · 8/10 · 6 October 2022]

The real interviews and footage are amazing. The reenactments, less so. It is very interesting from a human interaction perspective. It is also heartbreaking sometimes, as you might imagine. Ever since reading "Into Thin Air, I have always been fascinated AND repulsed by Everest climbs. For the most part, they are for people that just have enough money to add the climb to their "accomplishments," all at the expense of the brave and competent sherpas that eke out a living from what has become a tourist destination. It's absurd really. The Langtang village interviews are eye-opening, that people can find conflict even when they should be working together.

Kind of misunderstood

[dierregi · 7/10 · 26 January 2023]

This is probably one of the best Netflix documentaries, but I was sure the woke crowd was not going to be happy with it, which must have been quite a disappointment for Netflix.

The documentary follows events in three main locations: the Everest camp, the Langtang valley, and Kathmandu.

The section about the Everest climbers features a number of Westerners, but also climber Gopal, a Nepalese national and an Iranian woman climber. It even features an arrogant white male climber, probably interviewed only to appease even more the woke crowd, but it didn't do the job.

The section about Kathmandu is only about Nepalese folks and their rescues and the section about the Langtang valley is the weirdest one, focussing on the misdeed of two Israeli tourists - the third guy did not do anything wrong - who perhaps made a clumsy attempt at looting the village. However, if they wanted to steal money and stuff, why did they use a transparent bag? Whatever happened, it was stretched way too far and the "good guy" of that story was also a Nepalese.

Therefore those who complained about the plot not being focused enough on the Nepalese may have been watching another documentary because 2/3 of this is just about the Nepalese climbers, villagers, and city dwellers.

The three strands of events are developed at a decent speed, although the ending feels a bit rushed. The photography is good and the interviews are less bad than usual. A good documentary, apart from the Langtang story.

Riveting - A Must Watch!

[nanieo · 9/10 · 15 June 2023]

This is one well documented docuseries that I found so riveting, I watched all episodes in one go.

The scenery was amazing, anyone would feel small in the majesty of the mountains. The Nepalese are religious and believe in the sanctity of the mountains and believe that places like these should be treated with respect, thus I was shocked to see in one of the earlier stills, 3 Israeli men undressed and showing their bums. That was so disrespectful and in poor taste. And then they showed their true colours when one of them broke a chest belonging to a deceased man and taking his money, and then making excuses for it and accusing the Nepalese of being violent! It was absolutely disgusting and inexcusable behaviour. It just left me shocked that people from a supposedly civilised country could, in a time of grief, steal from a deceased person who probably had to struggle to make a living and save that money.

And after watching the docuseries, I still don't understand why people want to climb mountains when it is extremely dangerous and can cause deaths, even under normal circumstances.

To the people of Nepal, i wish you all the best in coming out of the tragedy and in rebuilding your country and may it never happen again...and to all climbers, the Everest mountains are not a playground to be partying and having fun in - its a sacred place for the locals. Have some respect!

Confusing. Good, but confusing.

[guyelladesign · 6/10 · 30 December 2022]

The stories about the Everest and the city were very interesting and fascinating, i wish they had shown more about the city.

About the Israelis guys, he literally tried to bring back the money and the pictures back to the owners. The "head chef" of the village was so angry before even trying to understand the Israeli guy intention.

There is an article about this story, that says that the Israeli brought the bag with the money straight to the Nepalis soldiers. Things just misunderstood between the groups.

The series tried hard to put them in a black spot. Why not trying to sit them all together, and trying to make peace between them.

Irresponsible

[kateAraya715 · 5/10 · 27 April 2023]

If you take nothing else from this documentary, take this: The absolute disconnect each of the visitors has to nature, self-awareness, personal responsibility, and their own humanity represented in this documentary is appalling. I've never remotely considered climbing Mt Everest an accomplishment but a crime against nature. The destruction of the mountain, the pollution, the garbage left behind, the learned lacked of humanity while stepping over the dead to get to an ego-driven checkbox on some egocentric list? Disgusting. If I were Everest I'd blow every week.

At the beginning, they tried to claim that "most ppl think it's just a bunch of rich ppl... some are just ordinary!" Ordinary?? How absolutely insulting and insane. Rich people are some of the most ordinary uncreative dangerously stupid inconsiderate creatures on earth. And this movie - while excellent- also leaves the viewer wondering why? Why make a doc about rich western ppl who have no connection to Nepal? The hotel owner, his employees and the reps of the govt and rescue effort, the villagers should have been the focus. Yes.

But I am also glad they showed the Israeli men too. They wear their victimhood like a badge of honor, continuously disrespecting the villagers who lost EVERYTHING, speaking as if the villagers were not equal to them, that THEIR lives were MORE important. They made me sick to my stomach Never once was there a mention - "if we are stuck here maybe we can find a way to help these people". Never happened once. Disgusting people.

Western culture has lost the plot. We are so beyond arrogant and ignorant this movie reveals that we, in our heart of hearts truly believe every mountain, every foreign culture, every THING belongs to us - to use and abuse at our will.

And the photographer? I'm waiting to see if she sells her photos and donates every penny to the villagers. Otherwise she's just as bad - and she never criticizes the behavior of her Israeli buddies either. The sorrow I felt for the people who lost their homes and loved ones still stays with me. The anger and grief I have for the selfishness of every visitor (except the HIV patient who gave compelling reasons for his decisions) still sickens me.

The Tragedy that Unfolds

[keeping-it-simple · 7/10 · 6 October 2022]

I've always wanted to climb Everest so this quickly caught my eye to give it a watch. There's is something about the serenity in the snow and mountains...but the tragedy that unfolded here through out Nepal and Everest in 2015 is crushing.

This docu-series is an account of what the survivors experienced in the build up of the disaster and post the event. So many people lost their lives (may they rest in peace).

In my view it's important to have documentaries like this to keep you humble and understand how fragile we all are in the path of Mother Nature.

The documentary covers a range of issues from political views from US and Nepali support efforts in the rescue. In disasters like this which needs all human effort, there seems to be an initial focus on the optics rather than the teams collaborating in just working together to rescue the injured in the earthquake. Another topic that is raised in racial profiling to ethics.