Substance In The Void

Release date: February 20, 2004
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Nicholas Aaron, Richard Hawking, Brendan Mackey, Joe Simpson, Simon Yates

Detailing the true-life adventure of two overly ambitious climbers, Touching The Void gathers emotional momentum from both its powerful story and its unmitigated honesty. In 1995, British climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates decided to test themselves with one of the most demanding climbs conceivable. The west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes remained unconquered, despite a number of previous attempts. The climbers reach the peak after much struggle, but as they make their way back down, the weather closes in with suffocating intensity.

Soon thereafter, Simpson falls and shatters his leg — driving the bone clear through his knee joint. With horrific conditions and a 1300-meter drop, there is little hope for the climbers' survival. Nevertheless, Yates grimly takes on the task of lowering his friend — 100 meters at a time — down the side of the mountain. With no food or water, and the dangers of hypothermia and dehydration sliding into inevitability, the men continue their treacherous descent through white-out conditions.

Coming close to the base, fate swoops down again and Yates inadvertently lowers his partner over the edge of an ice cliff. Unable to communicate, Yates holds on for over an hour, until he finds himself being slowly pulled toward the edge. With no other fathomable option, Yates breaks the cardinal rule of climbing and severs the rope connecting him to his partner. Unburdened and unsure of his decision, he continues his descent consumed with guilt. What Yates does not know or expect is that Simpson has survived.

This is where the real story takes place: where we witness Simpson's struggle to battle dehydration, delirium and fear in order to and make it back to base camp before his partner leaves him behind forever.

Director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September) intersperses interviews with Simpson and Yates with a re-enactment of their climb by actors Brendan Mackey and Nicholas Aaron. Macdonald makes excellent use of the diverse Peruvian landscape to provide accuracy of detail in both the external and internal aspects of his subjects' struggles — something confirmed by Simpson himself during the Canadian premiere of Touching The Void at last year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Throughout the film, both men (particularly Simpson) convey a startling honesty. Everything from Yates's feelings of guilt and selfishness to Simpson's tears and hallucinations are laid out. While some may find the story somewhat repetitive — with different accounts of the same events — it's the lack of editorializing or compromise on Macdonald's part that reaches the depths of the climbers' experiences and communicates them so powerfully.