Saw Touching the Void, a documentary about a disastrous climb up the face of a mountain. The format is talking-heads interspersed with slightly hokey reenactments. This undercuts the drama a bit because we know everyone survives, but even so it's a ripping story. One of the climbers comes very very close to dying from exposure. He colorfully and evocatively talks about his desperation, how he externalizes his desire to live into a voice near him, commanding him to keep moving. Later still, he reverts to an instinctual, animal state, where only water, only progressing back to camp matters.
The climber relates the mini-disasters at the start of his journey (falling a short distance while climbing, running out of kerosine, etc.) in an understated, grim-faced way. He derides his fear of being left behind as 'childish.' I assumed at first that this was a he-man refusing to admit to allowable weaknesses. As the film progresses however it's clear that he has explored not only the face of a mountain, but also the region between life and death. It is this void to which the title refers.
The film is interesting. It is a bit chilly and although the reenactments do help to break up the monotony of being talked to, they also distract with actors screaming and carrying on. I mean, yes, they're fearing for their lives but the contrast between them and the staid story tellers is too much. (A choice quote from one of the climbers: "I knew I was not going to be able to progress any further. It was at this point that I started to get a bit desperate.") It's not that bad though. The story is gripping enough to warrant these performances so it never becomes campy or anything. The climbers themselves are sometimes a bit intractable (you can almost hear the interviewer off-screen prompting "and how did that make you feel?") but this almost adds to their grim-faced charm. Fun stuff!
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