Spencer Matthews and his family received the most heartbreaking news in 1999, when he was ten years old: their brother and son, Michael, had died.
Michael vanished three hours after becoming the youngest Englishman to reach the peak of Mount Everest. He was never seen again.
It’s been more than 20 years since the Matthews family last saw Michael, heard his laugh, and listened to him plan another crazy journey, but three years ago they were given renewed hope that they would finally be able to bring Michael home.
Spencer got a photograph from another climber who had discovered a body near where his brother had vanished, dressed in bright red attire similar to Michael’s. Is it possible that it’s him? It’s the closest the Matthews family has ever gone to hoping that they might be able to find closure or peace and say their final goodbyes.
Spencer rushed to Nepal without hesitation, only days after receiving his third kid with wife Vogue Williams, who, despite giving birth minutes before her husband departs for weeks, is only supportive, to check for himself whether the man in the photo may be his’superhero’ brother.
Finding Michael is an exceptional Disney Plus film that follows Spencer’s quest as he retraces Michael’s final steps, determined to bring his brother down from the mountain with the support of the most experienced crew in one of the highest recovery operations ever recorded.
‘I felt like I hadn’t been that close to Mike in over 20 years,’ Spencer admits the day after his Made in Chelsea co-stars and his family came out to support him at the film’s premiere showing.
‘This has greatly helped me get through the grief of his death. I’m no longer resentful of his death; I’ve accepted it entirely. I now smile when I see images of him in our home. Instead of being furious, it makes me pleased to see him.’
Spencer can’t disguise his eagerness to get started with Seeking Michael. Of course, he is completely aware of the mental and physical pain he is inflicting on himself, but the one-of-a-kind opportunity to truly examine his sorrow and his brother Mike is too amazing to pass up – even with a newborn kid.
‘In an odd sense, I was looking forward to it. I remember attending to a memorial ceremony for Michael when I was about 11 years old, not long after he died, and around 500 people showed up.
‘I can recall at the moment thinking, “This is a huge amount of people”. As I grew older, I realised how unusual it was that he had touched so many people’s lives at such a young age. But because we didn’t have a corpse, it wasn’t a regular funeral where you could go and see your family member and say a prayer for them or be near to them.
Now when I look at photos of him in our house, I smile
‘Mike was always in my eyes left alone, potentially facedown in the cold many miles away. It always sat uncomfortably with me.’
But it was impossible to comprehend what was really in store.
‘I couldn’t have anticipated the feelings that I would have in the lead up, I’ve always kind of suppressed emotions since the young age.
‘I’ve always had the great fortune to be in a loving family, but as I say in the film, “weakness” and “crying” was just not a done thing in our family. We just buckled up and got on this stuff.’
The film isn’t propelled by drama – it’s not even a real crime documentary, which it could have been. Seeking Michael is a film about brotherly love, sorrow, and hope, rather than attempting to explain the mystery surrounding Mike’s death.
It is, nevertheless, full of unexpected turns. Spencer’s connection with Bear Grylls (who also acts as executive producer) began when the now-famous survival expert was a special visitor at Spencer’s school. As a result, that fortuitous first meeting would eventually, years later, be a driving reason behind the film.
Spencer and Bear were concerned that the film would focus too much on why and how Michael died, rather than the mission itself and the unexpected adventure and hardships that it included.
That doesn’t mean Spencer doesn’t still have a lot of unresolved questions.
‘I always grew up feeling that his death was because of the mistakes made by others, because of a poorly organized expedition started. Essentially, if it been run properly he would still be alive so to me, this never was a mountaineering accident.
‘I had huge levels of resentment and anger against those who I felt were responsible for his death, and that’s a kind of additional layer of complexity to the grieving process because had Michael fallen and died I wouldn’t have that level of level of hatred and anger towards the people who you felt were responsible for his death.
‘After going through this journey, I don’t think I’ll ever forgive the actions of some of the people involved in the 1999 expedition, but I no longer feel anything towards them.’
Discovering Michael is interwoven with one-of-a-kind and candid dialogues about the enduring anguish of bereavement. It’s a film about family, about the strong link that exists even after death between siblings. Everyone will undoubtedly take something different away from it, but regardless of who you are or our experience, you will undoubtedly take something meaningful away.
Throughout our conversation, I was on the verge of tears.
‘That the film touched you in some way is the point of making a difficult documentary. I want to give Mike a legacy and speak to anyone who experiences loss.’
Finding Michael is available to stream on Disney Plus from March 3.
Source My Celebrity Life.