A handful of journalists scramble when a big story literally crashes into their territory in this drama inspired by a true story. On August 12, 1985, Japan's Gunma Prefecture became the focus of the international news media when Japan Airlines Flight 123 went out of control and hit Mount Takamagahara with over five hundred passengers on board, making it the deadliest single-plane aviation accident in history. Yuuki Kazumasa (Shinichi Tsutsumi) is the reporter from the North Kanto Times who is assigned to cover the accident, and over the next few days, he and his partners at the paper struggle to stay on top of story and offer the definitive coverage of the crash of Flight 123 as print and broadcast outfits from all over the world arrive in Gunma to get the facts. Two people on his staff who aren't always helpful are Yuuki's editor (Kenichi Endo), a taskmaster who wants copy to be lean and precise, and the paper's publisher (Tsutomu Yamazaki), an elderly man often more interested in his dogs that his own newspaper. Kuraimazu Hai (aka Climber's High) received its North American premiere at the 2009 New York Asian Film Festival. Incidentally, the title Climber's High comes from a story Yuuki shares in the film, in which he compares his work to scaling a mountain.
by Mark Deming
synopsis
