Back to Tilicho

"Back to Tilicho is a poignant and joyous documentary film that explores the impact of trauma on identity, the power of nostalgia, and the bittersweet passage from youthful innocence into adulthood."

As a young woman prepares to get married, she becomes consumed with demons from her past. To reconnect with who she was before the trauma, she and her new husband walk 500 kilometers on the Great Himalaya Trail to a significant place from her youth: Lake Tilicho, one of the highest lakes in the world. But when faced with treacherous terrain, snow storms, near-death accidents, resurfacing repressed memories, and seemingly insurmountable barriers, she realizes that maybe she wasn't supposed to go back.

Back to Tilicho is an independent documentary co-directed by Sarah Charley and Maxime Hutinet. It is available in two different formats: the 88 minutes feature and the 39 minutes festival cut, Back to Tilicho: A Love Story.

Sarah Charley & Maxime Hutinet

Director Statement - Sarah Charley

“Somebody needs to make a movie about this”, I fumed at Tilicho basecamp in November 2022. I’m not a spiritual person, but everything that had happened during our 45-day trek on the Great Himalayan Trail had made me question if a higher power was trying to teach us something. As the bewilderment and frustration dissipated, I realized that my sarcastic quip might have some meat—we actually had enough footage to make a movie. There was just one problem: neither myself nor my husband were filmmakers.

Creating Back to Tilicho made us into directors the same way being chased by a bear makes you into a runner. We studied beat sheets, borrowed camera kits, and mentored with the amazing Kenny Meehan and Matt McCroskey (“Big in Bollywood”) all along the way. But there was another complicating factor. Most filmmakers are driven by deadlines, but we had a due date—my due date. I was pregnant.

Originally, we thought this project would be an adventure story about overcoming trauma and finding redemption. (Like the 2014 film “Wild,” but more stuff happens.) But as we approached the final cut, we realized we had made something else: A love story. Our love story.

Back to Tilicho is not your typical adventure film. It covers difficult topics like abuse, sexual violence, trauma, and suicide. But the project is also bursting with humor, joy and love. Our goal with Back to Tilicho is to reach people who are struggling with trauma and give them hope. There is a way out.