Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake (2022)

Episode Guide

Wrong Place Wrong Time
No Way Out
Escape

Following the Aftershock Everest as well as The Nepal Earthquake is an enthralling captivating, deeply moving, and shocking documentary that focuses on the challenges and triumphs of and after the Nepal Earthquake in the year 2015. Also known as the name of the Gorkha earthquake the natural disaster caused the deaths of nearly 9000 people and left 3.5 million homeless. Whole villages were destroyed; old buildings were destroyed and in Kathmandu, the area appears like a war zone.

The show is split into three episodes. Aftershock gathers survivors of the terrible tragedy. They share their personal accounts of what transpired while dividing the attention between three important regions in Nepal. The first episode follows a group of mountaineers at Everest at both Base Camp and Camp 1. After an earthquake are trapped in a difficult situation. With bodies piling up, and no resources available, the only hope rests on getting help.

The second story is set in Kathmandu. Following the earthquake is over, rescue operations are underway to search for survivors hidden beneath mountains of rubble. However, it’s a race to the finish. Since every second counts do they have time to find someone alive?

The third and final tale is set within Langtang Valley, a remote area in the mountains in which a group of survivors gets caught up with locals in a pressure cooker scenario that is set to explode at any time.

Three of these stories are interspersed around an animated map that is able to fly between different regions while simultaneously showing the distances and areas the people are spread across. It’s an interesting method to estimate how destructive the earthquake really was while also bringing in the most diverse perspectives and interpretations of what transpired as you can.

There’s a great deal of raw footage from the period and the show divides its time between this footage, photos taken by various survivors (most particularly from a woman named Athena who was a co-host with those Israelis on the 3rd story), and interspersed talking heads interviews that let us gain insight into the lives of the men and women.

Aftershock’s music score is excellent and it’s an aspect that will fly under the radar of the majority of people talking about the show. There’s a genuinely devastating moment in episode 2, which makes the music play perfectly. Here, one of Langtang Village residents mentions all the people that he lost in the earthquake. The music gradually increases until it’s as loud as his voice, bringing an air of gravity to the event and the devastating losses that the people suffered during this time.

The film never overstays its time, though it’s possible that the initial episode, which is at 38 minutes could have been longer to showcase more raw footage of the earthquake, possibly with news footage to increase the tension. It’s not a major issue in an enjoyable series.

Netflix has mastered the art of producing amazing documentaries, along with Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake is no different. It’s another heartbreaking nature documentary and one that you must watch.