Touching the Void

This is a combination documentary and reenactment of a mountain-climbing expedition gone terribly wrong. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out in 1985 to climb to the peak of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Grande Andes, a feat that had never been accomplished. They sought to make the climb and descent in one big push, taking along enough supplies for just a couple of days. When the climb proved more treacherous than either suspected, and one of them severely injured his leg, things got very, very bad. A controversial decision is made by one of the climbers, and the movie goes on to depict the consequences of that decision, resulting in one amazing survival story. The film interweaves stunning climbing reenactments with real-life interviews to become perhaps the best film on the insanity of mountain climbing ever produced. Kevin McDonald gets captivating testimonies from the climbers, who miraculously survived the ordeal, something that is revealed in the film’s opening. Seeing what they endured, it is a constant amazement that they are present for the filming to tell their story.