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| Touching
the Void
Directed By: Kevin
Macdonald Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
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| In June, 1985, British mountain climbers Joe Simpson (21) and Simon Yates (25) became the first people ever to make their way up to the top of the 21,000 foot Siula Grande peak in the Peruvian Andes via the mountain's nearly 90 degree west face. An accident during their descent, however, left Simpson with three breaks in his right leg (ankle, knee and calf). An attempt to lower Simpson down the nearly 90 degree face of the mountain went awry, and Yates was forced to make a tough decision to cut Simpson's line in order to prevent them from both falling to their dooms. Miraculously, however, this additional fall did not kill Simpson, and he continued to crawl his way down the mountain, making his way to the base camp just a few hours before Yates was planning on leaving, presuming Simpson to be dead. This documentary combines interviews with Simpson with reenactment footage to depict the miraculous survival story of how the mountaineer painfully crawled his way down the side of a mountain. [TRAILER] “Touching The Void” is another one of those shocking “true stories” about mountain climbers who come within inches of death only to survive in miraculous fashion. In terms of pure concept, this has been explored before in movies (“Alive”), and has been the subject of more than a dozen news magazine shows, from “Dateline NBC” to “60 Minutes,” as journalists recreate the scenarios their unlikely heroes overcame. But nothing that has come before will prepare you for “Touching The Void,” a part-documentary, part-recreation of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates’ ordeal atop the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. This is not only a documentation of what happened, recording how this bleak scenario almost cost Simpson and Yates their lives, but is also a profound meditation on death and hopelessness; an examination, in both climbers, of the human drive to survive that not even they quite understand. Comparing it to similar stories, the uniqueness of “Void” is its participants’ active role in determining their fate. How many of these past stories involved a climber resigning himself to death, only to miraculously survive? In “Void,” something is different in how Simpson actively takes control of his destiny. In the movie’s most dramatic moment, Simpson is trapped in a crevice and throws his rope off a ledge, into the seemingly-bottomless black void below. He does not tie a knot in his rope, knowing that it is only so long and that he will either reach the bottom of this hole, or will feel the end of the rope slip through his hand as he falls to his death. This moment of Russian roulette with the gods - of utter hopelessness and despair with absolutely nothing left to lose - scared me as much as any fictional film ever has. The story unfolds in two worlds. The first is occupied by the real climbers reflecting on their ordeal, their mental states and the moments that define their story. In the other, director Kevin Macdonald (“One Day In September”) recreates the events, visualizing their memory for the audience. The effect here is surprisingly intense. Even though we know the two climbers have survived, we are able to put ourselves on the face of that mountain, facing the void by their side. Simpson breaks his leg upon their descent, requiring Yates to help lower Simpson down the mountain in a remarkable bout of heroism and loyalty. They work out a system: Yates digs himself into slippery, disintegrating powder snow, ties himself to Simpson, and then lets Simpson go down the mountain. Simpson falls until the rope reaches its end, then digs himself into the mountain, gives the rope a tug, and Yates climbs down to meet Simpson, where they start all over again. It is a harrowing effort to help Simpson escape certain death, and all looks hopeful until, on one of his rides down the mountain, Simpson slides off the edge of an unexpected cliff. Dangling in mid-air, 100 feet above the next plateau in the mountain, Simpson stares down into a crevice that waits directly beneath him. For what feels like hours, Yates waits for Simpson’s signal to no avail, and starts to slide off the mountain, pulled by Simpson’s weight. He eventually makes a decision for his own survival, cutting the rope between them, never finding Simpson’s body. Macdonald, in his direction of these events, finds a balance of themes to explore. Of course, there is the sole ordeal of this pair’s survival. But beyond the obvious, we are witness to Yates’ much-criticized thought process at the point of cutting the rope, Simpson’s desperation in his icy tomb, Yates’ haunted journey down the mountain alone, and Simpson’s mental determination, with a broken leg, to make a journey that has become climbing legend. Surprisingly there are no real “movie moments” in this film; no camera tricks or stylistic techniques to make this adventure more “dramatic.” Wisely, Macdonald recognizes the power of this ordeal, and instead does all he can to get out of the story’s way.   Check out Reviews, Commentary, and More at Zertinet.com |
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Although it may seem so, to make a great movie about great tragedy or great success is not easy. All too often these films are screwed up even given the most talented staff. Titantic turned a great tragedy into a melodramatic whine fest and Troy managed to take one of the great battles every fought and made it boring. While climbing a mountain in the Andes isn’t up there with an epic battle or the sinking of a ship, the story comes across with far more clarity. The reason for “Touching the Void’s” success is that the film actually cares about the development of its characters. The film uses a unique mix of interviews and documentary style recreation to truly draw the audience into these real life characters. “Void” is the story of two real life British climbers (Simon Yates and Joe Simpson) who set out to climb Siula Grande. Although they make it to the top successfully, Joe falls and breaks his leg. Not willing to give up Simon and Joe continue to descend the mountain, with Simon lowering Joe several hundred meters at a time. As the weather worsens, Joe finds himself hanging over a small cliff, unable to climb or communicate his situation. Simon finds himself unable to move due to the tension on the line, sensing no movement from Joe. When he finally cuts the line, Joe’s struggle for survival begins and Simon’s struggle with his conscience begins. The film continues, taking an interesting approach of mixing both third person and first person perspective to draw the audience into Joe’s struggle. We watch almost painfully as Joe attempts his first few unsuccessful steps out of the gorge and along with him we struggle into daylight, ever aware of the sound of water unable to reach it. Simon’s struggle is felt in tandem to Joe’s. Even with very few words from Simon the gravity of the situation is very clear. Like any great film, it causes the audience to ask question their own morality. Despite the amazing cinematography, the key focus of the film lies in the moral grey area. Should Simon have cut the line? Although certainly the most rational thing to do in the situation, I certainly would find it difficult to do were I in the situation. There’s a part of me that would rather freeze on that mountain that be directly responsible for friends death.  |
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