On the morning of August 22nd, 2023, eight young men, six of them still in school, climbed into a cable car to traverse a valley 900 feet above the remote foothills of Pakistan, a trip the young men took at least twice a day.
On that particular day, however, two of three cables snapped, leaving the tram, along with the eight young men inside, dangling precariously over the valley. Considering the remote location, scarcity of resources, and a fraying cable wire, rescue seemed, if not impossible, then highly improbable.
Via archival footage, some drone-based cameras, videos captured on cellphones, and, among others, news footage, talking head interviews with the interested parties, and dramatic recreations, writer-director Mohammed Ali Naqvi (The Accused: Damned or Devoted?, Insha'Allah Democracy, Among the Believers) gives viewers on the other side of the screen the ins and outs, the hows and whys, and everything in between that led to and from the cable car accident, the government’s response (or lack thereof), and the unofficial and official attempts to save the young men before the third cable wire gave way.
After a brief introduction to the cable car, the survivors, and their fathers, Naqvi shifts focus to Sumaira Khan, a news anchor raised in Battagram. Well aware of Battagram’s remoteness and its relative unimportance to the Powers-That-Be residing in the district proper, Khan foregrounded the incident on her morning broadcast, essentially turning a local, localized story into a national one. In turn, Khan’s broadcast led to the government’s almost immediate intervention.
At first, though, the government didn’t know how to respond to the crisis. The local police chief, Sonia Shamraz, the first woman to hold such a senior position, proceeded with an understandable combination of concern and caution. The government had no contingency plan in case of an accident or incident like the one in question, sending a helicopter to recon the cable car, its condition, and the surrounding valley. Between the valley’s natural winds and those created by the helicopter’s blades, rescue by helicopter proved both inefficient and, ultimately, too dangerous.
Naqvi eventually focuses on two rescuers, one unofficial -- Sahib Khan, a self-described “sky pirate” intimately familiar with the inner and outer workings of local cable cars -- and the officially sanctioned, Ali Swati, the self-confident owner of a zipline company. Where Khan relied on know-how and a makeshift pulley system, the better-financed Swati relied on higher-end equipment. Reflecting class bias as much as prudence, Shamraz nixed Khan’s offer (he went, anyway) and approved Swati’s similarly premised plan.
Hanging by a Wire deliberately contrasts Khan’s calm, gentle demeanor with Swati’s brash, egotistical one. A proud Khan introduces filmgoers to his modest home and belongs while Swati boasts about his “handsome body” and his workout regimen. Khan perceives the government’s refusal as class-based, while Swait, invited by Samraz and the government, relishes the opportunity to prove himself to his family, specifically a father disappointed by the Pakistani Army’s rejection of Swati for military service, presumably for fitness-related reasons.
Naqvi leaves the contrast there (i.e., superficially examined), but it’s obvious that different ideas of masculinity, some borderline toxic, are at play in Khan and Swait’s behavior and how they’re treated by not just government officials, but everyone around them, and their value and/or contribution to the rescue effort. Some reflexively see Khan as an interloper, out of his depth, risking his life unnecessarily, a nuisance in word and deed, while others see Swait as a heroic savior, all but born to “play” the lead in a film about the rescue, with himself as the central focal point.
With the rescue attempt starting during the day, but not ending until nightfall, 14-15 hours later, it left Naqvi with little alternative but to substitute dramatic recreations for archival footage. Possibly due to budget limitations, time, or both, the partial recreations fall disappointingly short of expectations for a documentary like Hanging by a Wire.
A more methodical, more detail-oriented approach would have helped audiences visualize the interrelated aspects of the rescue mission. Dancing lights, silhouetted figures, and voiceover narration aren’t enough to convey what was obviously an exhilarating, not to mention dangerous, rescue attempt to save the young men before the cable car fell to the valley below.
With a too-short running time, Hanging by a Wire often feels like it’s speed-running through key events connected to the cable car’s failure, shortchanging the men and women central to the rescue attempts (in or out of the cable car) conducted throughout the 22nd of August, 2023. A deeper, more expansive dive into every relevant aspect of the events leading to and from the cable car accident would have, in turn, led to a more indelible, consequential, ultimately unforgettable experience.
Hanging By A Wire premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.