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Touching the Void

If "Touching the Void" were a fictional film, it would have been criticized for being far-fetched. That’s what makes this dramatic reenactment of endurance against incredible odds so fascinating: It really happened. Based on a book by the same name, the dramatized documentary chronicles the true survival story of two expert climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who climbed the 21,000-foot west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Prior to their climb, other attempts to summit Siula Grande had been made, but all had failed. That’s what made the challenge so appealing to the young and unknown climbers – the chance to be the first to scale a mountain others could not, and to possibly make a name for themselves in the process. They do end up gaining fame for their journey, but not for reaching the summit, which they did with little trouble. Instead, their truly heroic expedition begins on the descent when Joe breaks his leg in three places. With no technology to contact help, no helicopters or emergency rescue on call, not even enough gas to melt snow for drinking water, Simon (Nicholas Aaron) and Joe (Richard Hawking) must figure out a way to descend an incredibly dangerous mountain with only one healthy climber.

They manage to fight their way down part of the peak, but then a second incident occurs. After this incident, Simon is left with an incredibly difficult choice. I won’t reveal what happens, other than to say that Simon believes Joe to be dead and descends the rest of the mountain alone.

But, Joe is still alive. Trapped in a crevice and facing certain death if he stays where he is, Joe must find a way out of the crevice, fight his way down a snowy slope and crawl through rocky terrain in order to reach base camp before Simon leaves. And, he must do this under extreme dehydration, facing severe weather conditions with no supplies and an injury so severe, even the slightest touch causes him to scream out in agony. The story of his journey down the mountain is still considered legendary among climbers today.

The film’s emotion and validity is heightened by three elements: the fact that the film was shot on location at the Siula Grande, the incredible realism of the reenactment and the narration from the actual climbers. From the spectacular location shots to the ice forming on the actors’ faces to the emotion of the acting, this film puts us in the middle of the story and makes us feel as though we took the journey with these climbers. To sharpen this feeling of authenticity, director Kevin Macdonald makes a compelling choice to strengthen the reenactment, by injecting comments at crucial moments from the real Joe and Simon. Hearing the emotion in the voices of the climbers who actually experienced this journey first-hand makes the trip seem even more real.

While I was watching this film, I pictured myself in the same situation, and wondered if I would have been physically and mentally able to do what they did. Then, I realized a fundamental difference: I wouldn’t have made the attempt in the first place. There’s a gene, an instinct or a quality about climbers that sets them apart from the rest of us. Call it bravado. Call it arrogance. Call it insanity. Whatever that element is, wherever it comes from, I believe it’s what got them down the mountain under such extreme conditions - and what drove them to climb again afterward.

The DVD special features are nearly as interesting as the film itself. There is a “making of” segment which shows the film crew and actors shooting in extreme weather conditions in their quest to make the reenactment as genuine as possible. There are also several interviews with the real Joe where he talks about the psychological impact of returning to the location of his historic descent 17 years after it happened.

Written by: Keli Ayr Brooks

Reviewers Rating: 9
Reader's Rating: 9.00
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