Critic's Grade: B

"Seven Years in Tibet" follows the real-life exploits of Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer (played by Brad Pitt), whose arrogance and pompousness caused him to reject his unborn child and wife in favor of a chance to join an expedition in the Himalayas before the start of World War II in 1939. After the start of the war, the team is taken prisoner by British soldiers, later escaping into the Indian wilderness, where Harrer, accompanied by climbing companion Peter Aufschnaiter (David Thewlis), makes his way to Tibet, where he becomes acquainted with the Dalai Lama (Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk), whose thirst for knowledge of the outside world is as big as Harrer's own need for a reaffirmation of his life's meaning.

Jean-Jacques Annaud's film certain has a lot of things going for it: a stunningly beautiful setting, gorgeous cinematography, compelling performances from his cast, and a story based in truth. Pitt shows his versatility as an actor here, making a nice segue between Harrer's selfishness in the first half, and his gradual evolution into someone with feeling and heart as the events of the film progress. We believe that he and the Lama can learn much from one another, and despite the film's shortcomings, their friendship, which is quoted as having lasted "to this day," is involving and introspective of both characters. By film's end, the changes in Harrer and the Lama are apparent and convincing, and touching in some cases.

The movie itself takes its time, pacing itself slowly so as to develop the characters and further their relationships with one another. But one too many times it steps wrong by spending too much time on unimportant subplots, most significantly the third act's depiction of the taking over of Tibet by the newly-instated communist Chinese government. A separate story involving a turncoat Tibetan governer (B.D. Wong) doesn't really do anything to enhance the proceedings, and while the effects of this traumatizing time are important to the outcome of the overall story, it could have taken a larger focus on the strain it puts on the central friendship rather than paying attention to other, less crucial matters. Were it not for the deeply-rooted emotional connection between the film's two important characters, "Seven Years in Tibet" would be something of a mess; luckily, we care enough about these people to take the bad along with the good.

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