Touching the Void
Starring: Joe Simpson, Simon Yates, Richard Hawking
Director: Kevin Macdonald
The film: Based on the best-selling book by amateur mountaineer Joe Simpson, Touching the Void is more docudrama than documentary. Director Kevin Macdonald - responsible for the superb One Day in September, which charted the bloody events of the 1972 Munich Olympics - has a similarly gripping tale at his disposal here. And he hardly wastes a second to draw the viewer in.
Simpson and fellow climber Simon Yates set out to climb the hitherto unconquered Siula Grande in Peru, heading straight up, Alpine style (no pre-set ropes or stage camps). As with most difficult climbs, however, it was the descent that proved their greatest challenge. Macdonald intercuts his subjects' retelling of events with dramatic recreations that are frighteningly chilling in their authenticity. At times it's like watching a live feed of the events.
Throughout the 96 minutes, Simpson seems strangely detached from his near-death experience - it's almost as if he's telling someone else's story - but it was just that steely resolve that helped him overcome seemingly impossible problems (a broken leg, dehydration and frostbite), and keep his mind on the single most important thing: survival.