In 2022, French alpinist Benjamin Védrines set an astonishing record by summiting Broad Peak in just 7 hours and 28 minutes without supplemental oxygen, then descending by paraglider. Yet only nine days later, on K2, he lost consciousness at 8,400 meters and had to be rescued. After two years of preparation, he returns once more to that immense mountain. 

The film weaves together two axes with remarkable density: the overwhelming spectacle of awe-inspiring high-altitude landscapes and the protagonist's delicate inner reflection. The first-person GoPro perspective, mounted on his helmet and trekking poles and angled downward, conveys the verticality of K2 more vividly than any mountain film before it, while the paragliding descent from the summit brings the audience both relief and a sense of liberation. 

Above all, the director captures in full the raw emotions Védrines pours out before the camera, unfiltered. The interweaving of the climbing narrative of extreme challenge with the inner narrative of confronting trauma and finding realization amid unresolved longing draws the audience into complete immersion. We present this film as our Opening Film — the most condensed expression of this year's UMFF's aim: the challenging spirit.
 

― Jinna Lee, Programmer​