TOUCHING THE VOID is a documentary that re-stages a mountain climb of Simon Yates and Joe Simpson in the Andes in 1985. While on that climb up an untraversed mountainside, Joe Simpson was lost to the cold, and Simon returned believing him dead. Miraculously though, based on luck and skill, Simpson made his way out of a crevice he fell in with a broken leg, and made his way all the way down the mountain. The film uses two actors to re-stage the events, which are harrowing, but what makes the film really shocking is Joe and Simon's voiceover narration. The men, much older, have a perspective on the events, a clear-headed, intense way of telling the story. TOUCHING THE VOID is extremely intense, despite the audience knowing the outcome, but the sheer unlikelihood of Simpson's survival, and the mental processes that take place on the mountain are riveting. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, TOUCHING THE VOID also has a clear sense of timing. The photography is also beautiful, and, unlike a counterpart, 127 HOURS, the film has no clutter: its just Simpson and Yates telling us about the worst week of their lives.
Touching the Void: ★★★★
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