After the Snowmelt review

Yi-Shan Lo returns to Nepal to follow the route of her best friend’s ill-fated hike in a harrowing but cathartic documentary

After the Snowmelt review

TL;DR

  • Yi-Shan Lo's documentary debut grapples with a hiking tragedy involving her best friends, Chun and Yueh, in Nepal.
  • Chun died and Yueh survived after going missing during a snowstorm; Lo stayed behind due to illness.
  • Lo uses text messages, Chun's diaries, and rescue footage to retrace the events.
  • The film highlights Chun's non-conforming identity and the misgendering he faced in death.
  • Lo revisits the Nepal trail, using filmmaking as a cathartic act to transform trauma into remembrance.