Skip to main content
In series
English

Touching the Void

Introduction and discussion by Frank Hindriks Assistant Professor of Philosophy

UK/USA,  2003, 102 min, directed by Kevin Macdonald
In the mid-80's two young climbers attempted to reach the summit of Siula Grande in Peru; a feat that had previously been attempted but never achieved.

Touching the Void is a documentary film based on the disastrous and near fatal attempt of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates to climb the 6,344 meter Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. The two young climbers achieved what many had attempted; they reach the summit. However on the descent Joe falls and breaks his leg. The pair decides to lower Simpson with the help of ropes on the steep snowy slope, while an enormous storm rages on. Yates cannot see where he is lowering Simpson and the latter eventually drops off a cliff and is suspended by the rope in mid-air. Yates arrests his fall, but does not see the predicament his partner is in nor hear him because of the severity of the storm. After about an hour, Yates realizes that there is little chance of recovery from this situation for either of them and he makes the decision to cut Simpson's rope. 

Interesting links
YouTube Trailer Touching the Void
IMDb Touching the Void 

 

Also in this series

Introduction/discussion: Jan Kornelis Dijkstra, Assistant Professor of Sociology
English

UK, 1963, 92 min, directed by Peter Brook

Introduction/discussion: Kai Epstude, Assistant Professor of Psychology
English

(USA, 1993, 120 min, directed by Frank Marshall)

See also

Placeholder
Jij en je mobiel | Civil Journalism - Iedereen journalist?
Nederlands

Op 11 april 2008 staat filmtheater Images een hele dag in het teken van de mobiele telefoon als camera.

Martijn de Groot, Marijke Gordijn en Ronald Stolk
Nederlands

Met een gewone smartphone kun je goedkoop en snel exacte informatie over je eigen gedrag, gezondheid en levensstijl verzamelen.  Heeft de meetbare mens de toekomst?