The story of what happens when two British climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, try to reach the top of the previous unclimbed Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes is one of the most spellbinding films in years. A hybrid of talking heads and re-enactments this movie is one of the best films (on mountain climbing) ever made. You'll forgive me but its hard not to speak in terms like, best, greatest, ect when you talk about this film. I think its all best summed up by the term, "WOW!!!"
I can only imagine what this would be like on a big screen, where the sense of scale would be overwhelming. Not having been able to see this on a big screen I've had to make due with the DVD, which contains an extra called "What happened next..." which is what you'll want to know once the credits start to roll.
Touching the Void is a truly great film.
The only real problem with Touching the Void is that the film ends before the story does. I remember getting to the end of the film and feeling slightly cheated. Yes, I knew everyone lived (it’s not a spoiler since we see them narrating the tale) but what happened after they got off the mountain?
If you’re like me and saw the film on DVD all you have to do is switch over to the extras and see a short piece called What Happen Next.... This little baby is a wonderful explanation of what happened after Void ends. It’s the story of how Simpson walked to help on a broken leg and how he recovered. It covers the controversy surrounding the cutting of the rope and how Yates felt after the fact. It also fills in lots of little details not covered in the main film.
Don’t get me wrong I love Touching the Void, but at the same time I like the extra more. It’s a film that condenses Void down and then moves it forward to the real conclusion of the story. Why the material wasn’t included in the film is kind of lost to me because as I said the story doesn’t end it stops. What happened next ends, wonderfully.
See Touching the Void, and just be sure to see What Happens Next... as well.
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