Touching the Void

Released: June 24 2004
Cast: Joe Simpson, Simon Yates, Richard Hawking, Brendan Mackey, Nicolas Aaron
Director: Kevin McDonald
Genre: Drama
Rated: M
Running Time: 106 Minutes

Winner: BAFTA 2004 Best British Film

Beyond Anything You Would Dare To Invent

Synopsis:
'Touching The Void' is based on the international bestselling non-fiction book of the same name by Joe Simpson. It tells the extraordinary true story of two mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who narrowly escaped death high in the Peruvian Andes in 1985 when Simpson fell and shattered his leg.

Ultimately, their predicament forced Yates to save his own life by cutting the rope that bound him to Simpson. Simpson fell into a crevasse but managed to escape and crawl for three and a half days down the mountain to safety, without food or water and in an increasing state of physical and psychological deterioration. He arrived back at base camp just hours before Yates was due to leave forever.

My Verdict:
'Touching The Void' can be so easily summarised - stunning, awesome, amazing, remarkable, incredible and the list goes on and on. This is a story that looks like a Hollywood blockbuster - think 'Vertical Limit', yet lacks any pretensions because it is a true story. How Joe Simpson survived the horrific events that took place is just such a story of human courage and endurance that it almost defies description. Most would have given up and simply waited to die. What inspired and motivated him to persevere is almost unclear, save for a magical moment by Boney M's 'Brown Girl In The Ring' - see the movie to understand that one!

'Touching The Void' is told in different sections. There is the straight to camera interview by Yates, Simpson and another Englishman they had befriended and persuaded to 'guard' their base camp, Richard Hawking. Each man describes the events that took place some 18 years earlier as if it were yesterday. You can feel the pain yourself that was experienced by Simpson just by his verbal descriptions. There is so much detail in their narrations covering the physical and emotional aspects of their story. Then, there is the re-creation of the events by actors, which is so life-like that you can't believe it's only a re-creation. This action took place around the actual Suila Grande mountain of the Peruvian Andes where the near tragedy occurred. And then there is the visual footage of Joe and Simon as they re-visit the area some 18 years later.

As the movie finishes, you realise that you have experienced your own version of what can be a very dangerous sport. During the movie we learn that 80% of mountaineering accidents happen on descent, this story adding to that statistic. There is almost a sigh of relief when the movie concludes, as the tension is palpable even knowing that there is a positive outcome. Were these two men crazy to attempt to scale a mountain that had never been climbed before and never has since? See the movie and draw your own conclusion. Highly recommended.

Rating : A+

Christina Bruce