Andreas Nickel

People experience adventures on mountains all around the world. Personalities, fascinated by the world of the mountains, bring us closer to the freedom many people experience in such breezy hights.

Born in 1944 in South Tyrol, Reinhold Messner was introduced to climbing peaks by his father as a child. He has since climbed the fourteen mountains of the world culminating at more than 8,000 meters, and notably has to his credit the first ascent of Everest alone and without oxygen in 1980. This portrait is made up of the story given by mountaineer of his journey as well as testimonies from his loved ones and traveling companions. The interviews are interspersed with reconstructed scenes and extracts from archive films recounting his exploits. But there is no question here of becoming hagiographic, because Messner also draws his strength from his failures. When he's not climbing or roaming the desert, this troublemaker devotes his energy to various causes. In his Juval castle, located in his native South Tyrol, he exhibits the equipment of his expeditions as well as various objects, notably Tibetan. He has also written around fifty works to date.

Two 17-year-old pupils, Julia and Philip, are a successful beach volleyball team, and are to take part in a tournament in Mallorca. This is not easy for Julia, because her boyfriend, Andy, is rather jealous, and Philip is constantly distracted by young women. Julia, however, is extremely ambitious and is determined to win. She swears to abstain from sex while they are in Spain, and Philip and school friend David join her in the pledge. But when they arrive, they find that it is not easy to keep their promise!