Adventure climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates dangle as far as anyone can get from the “Hollywood idea of death” in the exhausting docudrama “Touching the Void.”
Simpson and Yates were climbing an unconquered Andean peak in 1985 when Simpson slid, shattering his leg. By rights, Yates should have abandoned Simpson to save himself, yet he tried to lower Simpson down the peak on a rope.
A mistake left Simpson hanging in thin air, about to pull Yates off the mountain. Yates cut the rope. Simpson fell hundreds of feet into a crevasse. Yates left him for dead, but Simpson managed to crawl back to base camp in one of the most grueling journeys ever recounted.
“Touching the Void” tells their story through interviews and impeccable re-creations, producing one jaw-
dropping moment after another. Your children may recalibrate their concept of the impossible after sitting through this stunner.
We rarely recommend “R” movies as family films, but “Void” earns the R only through some perfectly understandable profanity. Most parents who contact us say profanity isn’t a problem, since their children know not to use the words.
If you want to learn more about Simpson’s views on life, death and Hollywood, drop me a line and I’ll e-mail you our 2004 interview with the climber.
Each Tuesday, Michael Booth uncovers a movie gem for families in search of rewarding entertainment. Reach him at mbooth@denverpost.com; find the “Screen Team” blog at denverpostbloghouse.com.
