An Unknown Compelling Force

It goes without saying that it's clear a lot of work went into this film. It's easy to tell director Liam Le Guillou's soul was very much in this project and you can tell it's a mystery he is clearly very passionate about understanding.

The film boasts stunning cinematography, great commentary from Guillou himself and some interesting interviews with individuals who were around at the time of the incident and modern specialists who can shine a new light on what may have happened. It should also be noted a lot of care for the victim's is present by all involved throughout the film.

At its core the Dyatlov Pass Incident is a story of loss and tragedy, something the film makes clear. Although 1959 may seem long ago, it's quite possible members of the team would still be alive today if they had returned safely from their expedition, reminding us this is a modern mystery.

The possibilities put forward in the film are believable and make sure to not go too far past the point of sounding far fetched. In the end the cause of the students deaths that is settled upon as most credible and quite possible has a lot to back it up. The findings are definitely strong.

An excellent documentary that deserves plenty of praise. The world may never get full answers on what happened to those smart, adventurous young students that cold night in the Russian Urals, but this documentary does it's very best to give us as an answer.

In a mystery where aliens, yetis, secret soviet psychological weapons and other extreme possibilities have been put forward over the years, 'An Unknown Compelling Force' keeps it's head on straight and delves into the most likely causes, not the most far fetched which is highly refreshing.

It's well-produced for a smaller documentary. I found the narration honest and straightforward. The music was pleasant. The assertions were measured and factual. And the tension was well-built.

People who track this incident over the years may not be as impressed as I am with this documentary. I truly enjoyed the balanced approach and how logic was used to rule out wild speculation. I agree with the "speculative" conclusion eluded to toward the end of the documentary. Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one.

Based on the information presented, there appears to be a logical explanation to some remaining unanswered questions regarding the bodies found further from the camp by an embankment. Imagine people run resulting in them freezing to death and a killer notices someone managed to build a fire. The killer would likely think plan "A" isn't working out as intended. Therefore, they go to the location of the fire and finish any survivors off. Again, this is my own speculation.

Maybe entertaining to some, boring to others, but in either case not the least revealing. And before you start suspecting innocent people, you should have done better research.

British-American documentarian Liam Le Guillou travels to the area in question in the northeast Ural Mountains to talk to the locals and examine the best theories as to why the nine athletic Russians (seven men and two women) left their tents in the freezing cold of the night without adequate attire, with most perishing of hypothermia far away and a few others revealing signs of blunt force trauma.

"An Unknown Compelling Force" (2021) is worthwhile for learning about the nine victims, as well as the inaccessible region in general. Yekaterinburg is the closest city, which is 340 miles to the south; and the closest town like 60 miles away. Seven of the nine hikers were college students with the other man a healthy veteran of WW2, fifteen years their senior. They left behind undeveloped film and diaries up until the day of their deaths for evidence of what went down, not to mention their grisly remains and the autopsies thereof.

While Le Guillou wisely leaves the mystery open at the end, he also doesn't fail to point out what he thinks likely went down with the help of various experts and investigators, Russian and American. Certain popular theories, including the outlandish ones, are ruled out for one good reason or another, which leaves the most obvious scenario, according to Liam and his experts. Simply put, they believe the hikers were murdered, possibly by a savage band of Khanty living in the area, who wouldn't take kindly to Soviet invaders, especially if they inadvertently marred one of their shrines.

While this theory is interesting, there wasn't any evidence at the scene of these supposed assailants, like footprints. The better theory is that 3 feet of shifting snow during the snowstorm suddenly fell on the tent at night, which panicked the nine inhabitants. Fearful of an actual avalanche, they cut themselves out of the tent and fled without proper attire. When they realized an avalanche wasn't going to happen, some tried to make it back to the tent but died of hypothermia in the -13 degrees Fahrenheit weather (it was no doubt difficult to find the camp in those conditions). What happened to the others is well explained in an 11-minute documentary called "Is Dyatlov Pass Mystery Finally Solved," available for free on Youtube.

This film runs 1 hour, 46 minutes.

GRADE: B-