[This review is part of the Mercury’s 2021 Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) guide. You can check out all our PIFF reviews here.]
Who’s On Top follows a small group of LGBTQ+ Oregonians whose stories of personal struggles are interspersed with their journey towards Mt. Hood’s summit. The documentary triumphantly challenges the stereotypes and archetypes of mountaineers and adventurers, seeking to carve out a safe space for people of all genders and sexualities.
In the opening minutes, the comparison between the struggles LGBTQIA+ folx face and the challenge of summiting a mountain is drawn. “Coming out and climbing Mt. Hood are incredibly similar in the fact that they’re both pretty hard climbs,” says summit hopeful Ryan Stee. At this point, Miley Cyrus’ classic power ballad “The Climb” pops into my head; it would definitely be my soundtrack of choice were I ever to muster up the physical and mental fortitude needed to complete this Herculean task. The metaphor is referred to multiple times throughout the film, as members of the team recount their lived experiences.
Crisply shot, the film is a love letter to Oregonians and alpine enthusiasts. I always love learning new things about my home state, and the documentary throws in a couple fun facts that I’ve somehow never heard—like that Mt. Hood is the second most climbed mountain in the world after Mt. Fuji, and that Les Schwab lived in Prineville (the company’s HQ was even located there for a time).
