Show ant n r j i 2 Touching A The Void J Martha Carter Arts Editor The year was 1985 and two British mountaineers were about to embark on a perilous journey in a remote corner of Peru Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out to conquer Grande the of a foot peak This is the premise of the documentary Touching the Void the true story of two climbers who survived a terrifying tragedy on an isolated journey I The film weaves between I narration by Simpson and Yates and a chilling reenactment reenactment reenactment reenact- reenact ment of the events We climbed because it was fun said Simpson Every now and then things went wildly wrong and then it The two were daring athletes athletes athletes ath ath- letes who enjoyed climbing mountains that had not been climbed before Yates described the mountains in Peru as bigger than the Alps The Grande was two days walk from the road With the enormity of their venture and the secluded location they invited a lone traveler to join them Richard Hawking whom they met in Lima had never been a mountaineer but would be useful to have at base camp Simpson and Yates climbed Alpine Style which was dangerous and challenging The climbers each had a pack filled with clothing food and equipment No ropes were rigged before the climb and no camps existed along the way If something goes wrong it can be very very serious said Simpson Theres no rescue If you get badly hurt you'll probably die As the story of the two climbers unfolds we watch them scale steep snow cov ered mountains breathtakingly breathtaking- breathtaking ly beautiful yet deadly At Atone Atone Atone one point an entire ridge of ice gives away Rather than fear and caution the climbers show amusement amusement t. t Maybe it was confidence mat mar lea iea to carelessness but after reaching the top the climb took a turn for the worse Simpson lowering himself down a vertical wall slipped The impact upon landing drove his lower leg through his knee joint and split the femur Help is unobtainable Even if they reach the bottom the I nearest town is several days away Through windstorms that can drop the temperature to as low as 80 degrees below zero patchworks of ice unexpected unexpected unexpected offs drop-offs and glaciers Simpson and Yates have to get to the bottom of the mountain mountain moun moun- tain starving dehydrated and severely frostbitten The climb becomes a race for survival and one crucial decision is made in a bone- bone chilling climax that can be either ithe viewed as betrayal or the key to their harrowing 5 escape The films film's narrative is only accentuated ac by the true true- true life o reenact reenact- ment The viewer can nearly early feel the agony of Simpsons Simpson's plight watching his stiff hands fumbling fa face e black with frostbite dragging his lifeless leg across the rocky terrain Touching the Void is inspiring and shocking definitely definitely a must see must see for mountaineers mountaineers moun- moun takers risk humanitarians and Desperation terror and doo doom alike are ove overshadowed shadowed and d the inherent by hope VIve will to sue sur- |