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Touching the Void
: This film tells such a remarkable story of life, in the jaws of certain death, that you come out of the theatre proud to be part of the species.
A brilliant film about two amazing men, whose indomitable spirit I hope I have.
 My father, a scuba diver, used to joke around that the buddy system (so noble on its surface) is good after all, because there's a 50% chance the shark will eat the other guy instead of you. I found this movie pretty fascinating, and the cinematography out of this world. Hard to beat the scenery of the Andes. However, there is a bit of that Passion of the Christ overkill, as in, no, it was really really really bad. It could have been shortened down to a more palatable 90 minutes, with perhaps more attention to the post-climb controversy, which is partially addressed in the DVD extras. Still, pretty gripping from beginning to end. Time to read the book.
Back in 1985, two young British climbers traveling through Peru, decided to tackle the west face of Siula Grande, an 21,000-foot, unclimbed peak of the Peruvian Andes. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates make the ascent with relatively little problems. On the fourth day, as they methodically work their way down, Joe stumbles and breaks his leg. Instead of leaving him, Simon works out a way to start lowering his companion slowly and steadily, using a combination of both their ropes. He unknowingly lowers him over a 300-foot crevasse. With no way for Joe to climb up and the snow quickly slipping away from beneath him, Simon makes a decision to cut the rope. What follows in "Touching the Void" is the story of both mens' struggles to make it back to their base camp. Simon, assuming that his friend is dead, slowly trudges down the glacier, suffering from terrible guilt over what happened. Joe, not knowing if Simon is still alive, must find a way out of the crevasse, even with the terrible pain coming from his broken leg. This is a remarkable documentary from director Kevin MacDonald, based upon the book by Joe Simpson. Full of dizzying visuals, you really have the sense that you are with both the climbers during their ordeal, not just physically but, thanks to some unique camera work, mentally, as well. What's most astonishing, though, is that this is a true story. You start to forget that for a moment while watching, then Joe or Simon appears on the screen to narrate and to explain their emotions at the time. An incredible film.
I got that quote from Mark Twight's book Extreme Alpinism. He was describing a climb that he and his friends completed in Pakistan which took two days longer to complete because the altitude given for the peak they climbed was actually 4,000 feet higher than the map indicated. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates similarly tread through unchartered routes, climbing through and over ice fields and dodging crevasses; no one had ever summited the 21,000-foot peak Siula Grande in the Andes mountains of Peru. They made it without mishap to the top; the trouble started up top when they started down and ran into some weather, slowly fumbling their way down despite white-out conditions. The next bad luck was Joe's first fall which broke his leg very badly causing internal bleeding, at still extreme altitude, in still white-out conditions. The rest of the story is a literal crawl/slide descent for Joe whose ordeal this movie is mainly about; it's a miracle he survived at all given the conditions his body was in for the next 4 or 5 days without food, water, or shelter. I'm a novice to all this mountaineering stuff, but I have heard much about this movie from mountaineers I've met. I think this movie is one that those folks have seen more than 2 or 3 times. The movie really captures the thoughts, feelings, pathos of mountaineers who find themselves in a trying, do or die, situation in which those emotions are not only amplified at high altitude, but they're also distorted somewhat because of the high altitude. As the story is reenacted by actors, Joe and Simon discuss what transpired during their wilderness ordeal. And as other reviewers have noted, Simon was criticized by the climbing community for cutting the rope from which Joe was being lowered down, though both Joe and Simon agree that they thought it was reasonable given the circumstances.
This film is a great adventure/true story even if you have no interest in mountaineering; it's great exercise, although that was probably the last thing on these young men's minds during this trial by ice.
TOUCHING THE VOID is a stunning and suspenseful documentary of two mountaineering friends who are confronted with the climb of their lives in South America. In 1985, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out to climb the west face of Siula Grande, a remote 21,000 peak in the Peruvian Andes. Joe and Simon are young, ambitious, and ready to take on the world. Each enjoyed the solace of mountain climbing and its thrills and adventures. After conquering various Alpine mountains they turn their attention to a particular mountain in Peru that had never been climbed before. After three treacherous days they reach the summit, but little did they know that their adventure just began. The pivotal moment occurred when Joe suddenly fell and suffered a serious, painful broken leg. Certain that his fate was sealed Joe expects Simon to leave him behind. But Simon did everything he could to help Joe, which included the slow and tedious process of going down the mountain inch by inch while on their back or side. But disaster struck again when Joe became suspended in air after falling over an edge. Simon, in an act that will cause controversy and alarm, cut the rope that sent Joe tumbling into a crevasse without much hope for rescue. Meanwhile, Simon returns to base camp thinking that Joe never survived the fall. He is full of grief and fear. But what he doesn't know is that Joe indeed did not die and is slowly climbing down the mountain on his own. He suffers extreme pain, dehydration, frostbite, and fatigue. This film contains narration by Joe and Simon with reenactment footage that creates a powerful and emotional experience for the viewer. Although it is obvious that Joe has survived the ordeal, one can't help wondering how this can be true. I was certain that he would die on the mountain alone in his pain and suffering. What makes this a strong film is that much time and effort was dedicated to detailing the psychological drama that Joe suffered since his leg was broken. As a result the viewer is given a frank look into his thoughts, emotions, and fears. It was certainly a glimpse which is difficult to shake. It is easy for the audience to become "involved" while watching this film. Many people squirm in their seats and gasp out loud and these two men rehash their story. The stunning cinematography and audio results in the audience being sweep away in the drama. Heck, there were many moments when I thought I was on the mountain too. One doesn't need to be an expert at mountain climbing to enjoy this film. Any novice will fast become interesting in the fate of these two men. I must more appreciate the risks involved in this sport, and would highly recommend this film to others.
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