Monday, 18 June 2012

Dvd review: Touching the void


A documentary about a true incredible mountaineering story.

“Touching the void” is a strange beast that defies classification. The academy had to actually rewrite the rules of what constitutes a documentary because of this movie.
It consists mostly of a reenactment of the ascent performed by actors interspaced with interviews and so many people didn’t consider this a true documentary. In my opinion the reenactment is fundamental to convey what actually happened on the mountain, without that we’ll be left with interviews and shots of ice.
The story is really incredible. One of those true life story that seems to farfetched to be true and somehow the documentary format instead of making it more sedate, as it normally happens, enhances to drama of the story the new heights. Listening to the calm voice of Simpson retelling his ordeal is so much stronger than the usual cinematic tricks with which movie directors normally try to sway the audience.
This is a straight story of human determination, masterfully delivered.

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