A methodical investigation into one of recent histories most perplexing and grizzly conspiracy theories, An Unknown Compelling Force overcomes its rigid tone with its boots-on-the-ground, fact-based approach to a tragic cold case.

There is a lot to An Unknown Compelling Force that does not work. From its tone to it structure, it is a film documentary more suited for The History Channel. Yet there is a persistence to An Unknown Compelling Force that eventually won me over, a search for the truth to one of history’s most compelling and tragic cold case files: the Dyatlov Pass incident.

For those who don’t know, the Dyatlov Pass incident refers to the 1959 case in which a group of nine experienced hikers mysteriously died in the Ural Mountains located in western Russia. Despite two (albeit questionable) investigations that stated natural causes were to blame, this did not stop an increasing series of conspiracy theories to revolve around the incident, ranging from a missile strike, to UFOs, to even a Russian Yeti.

Determined to get to the truth is British filmmaker Liam le Guillou (The Fat Family), who not only directs and produces An Unknown Compelling Force, but also narrates and is very much the face of the documentary. This approach is a mixed bag, with le Guillou often placing the narrative on himself and his “filmmaking journey.”

This is countered by le Guillou putting boots to the ground and walking the same path that the doomed hikers took over 60 years ago, in an attempt to understand the conditions that this group of nine – led by Igor Dyatlov – dealt with, including crippling blizzards and encounters with indigenous communities that still live in the mountains.

Le Guillou in turn humanises the Dyatlov hikers, placing name and face to these poor souls who have unfortunately become lost in the shuffle of conspiracy theory over the decades. The use of real autopsy photos further hammers home the tragic nature of this doomed expedition, while interview heads featuring experts of numerous fields sift out the fact from the fiction, even though the on-screen presence of some feels very awkward, sometimes to comical effect.

Regardless, le Guillou has presented an informative documentary that brings out the humanity of an infamous cold case, even though An Unknown Compelling Force doesn’t always succeed as compelling documentary filmmaking