This is a niche essay—not everyone is interested in a family spearheaded by high-altitude climbing greats—but as a fan of the climbing documentary “Torn,” I was delighted to catch up with Max Lowe’s latest projects. This offers a nice insight into his world, one that is just as much about family as it is about film.

There’s a scene in Torn where Max interrogates his mom about falling in love with Anker so soon after Alex died. It’s tense to watch, and it strips away any sense that Max is going to be delicate or easy on his subjects. “I was surprised, and thought, How dare you ask me that?” Jenni says. “But I was able to answer because I’m just as forthright as he is.”

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