Director: Kevin Macdonald What is it about? Touching the Void follows two young climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, as they attempt to climb a never before conquered peak in the Peruvian Andes. Leaving an extra man at base camp the two men begin their ascent up the perilous west face of the Siula Grande Mountain. Despite treacherous weather and three days climbing the men are successful in their attempt at the summit. However, things begin to go drastically wrong on the descent down and Simpson is left with a badly broken leg. Yates attempts to lower Simpson down the mountain but the conditions are horrendous and it is not long before he is confronted with an agonising moral dilemma. Why is it great? This is an excellently crafted docudrama, which switches brilliantly between stunning reconstructions of Simpsons and Yates ill-fated climb and interviews with the actual climbers in their later lives. Their story is set against the most magnificent of backdrops, the stunning Siula Grande Mountain, and it becomes as much a character in this as the two climbers; its awesome ageless beauty rendering the lives of the two men, and us for that matter, utterly insignificant. This film is a tale of endurance, endeavour and courage but eventually becomes a meditation on existence. This is a docudrama of the highest quality and ultimately it leaves you reassessing what it is that is truly important in life and what we are capable of in order to survive in the face of overwhelming odds. Final Thought Touching the Void is a harrowing, compelling and enthralling piece which touches on everything from courage, friendship, morality, religion, life and death. It is a true white knuckle ride and one that leaves the viewer changed indelibly. http://youtu.be/t65VrYZ2U9s