“Very exceptional figures”, according to a YouTube spokesperson interviewed by AFP on Sunday, who considers this to be “one of the best launches in the history” of the platform in France, even if it is far from Anglo-Saxon stars such as the American MrBeast which can quickly accumulate several tens of millions of views.
Proving that the documentary is reaching a wider audience than the internet, the TF1 group announced on Monday that “Kaizen” will be available on its TF1+ platform from September 28, ahead of its broadcast on Channel One on October 8 at 11:30 p.m.
“What I want people to remember is not that I succeeded or failed (in climbing Everest), but that we see the journey I took to be able to give myself this goal,” the YouTuber explained aged 22 to 20 million subscribers. on social media, a few days before the broadcast. Real name Inès Benazzouz, the youngster knew neither the techniques nor the codes of climbing before embarking on his challenge, undergoing intensive training with guide Mathis Dumas.
“Collective Experience”
The story of his year of preparation and rise was also a success in cinemas, gathering around 340,000 viewers, including 40,000 abroad (Belgium, Quebec, Morocco, etc.) for previews on Friday night and Saturday morning. For the content posted online for free a few hours later, “it's unheard of”, commented Nathanaël Karmitz, one of the managers of distributor MK2, praising “the desire for collective experience” and a film that “deserves to be seen on the big screen”.
In front of the Grand Rex cinema in Paris, which hosted the preview on Friday night in the presence of Inoxtag, a queue testified to the excitement. “He inspires me a lot,” said Amir El Moumen, a business school student. “I know there are a lot of people who have climbed (Everest) who haven't necessarily filmed it, but I think it's crazy that a YouTuber is entertaining us like this,” added Lucie Bonin, 19.
“Since I was 11 years old, I always liked to have adventures, but I did it on video games,” pointed out Inoxtag, who is one of the content creators affiliated with the Webedia group (producer of the documentary). “One day, I said to myself: I want to experience them in real life. »
Reviews
If it is inspired by the film “Ascension” (2017), adapted from the book “A Coward on the Roof of the World” by Nadir Dendoune, “Kaizen” also infuses the philosophy of the One Piece manga by Japanese author Eiichiro Oda. with over 500 million copies sold, between unshakable belief in dreams and self-transcendence. “If you come across my documentary, I'd just like to say thank you. Thank you for making me believe that a dream can come true,” said the man who never parted with his favorite straw hat in honor of One Piece hero Luffy.
If it shows the damage of overtourism, pollution, as well as the risks related to this expedition, “Kaizen” has also sparked criticism in the press and on social networks. Libération particularly lamented the invisibility of the Sherpas, while climber and photographer Pascal Tournaire pointed out in L'Equipe a “very egocentric” film without any “exploitation”.