Touching the Void

LINKS
—Overview
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections

Touching the Void is based on the true story of two mountain climber, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. This film takes on more of a documentary feel than regular films, but that said, it far exceeds any documentary I have ever seen. There is nothing boring or even moderate about this film. It’s riveting, taking viewers on a whirlwind adventure that, with each turn, makes the story even more unbelievable. The cinematography is outstanding. It conveys without a doubt what it must have felt like out there, all alone against a furious, unrelenting mountain.

The Challenge of Living – This film has a lot to say about life and living it well. At the beginning of the film, Joe talks about how he and Simon wanted to climb the world. Immediately after, he comments about the kind of climbing they like to do, climbing without trails and without established routes. As they begin to conquer the mountain, he reflects on the amazing sense of freedom and space that exists away from the clutter of the world, and how climbing is a balance of power and grace. Indeed, it must be-- just like life. He talks of the trust and reliance on a partner, and the way that putting risk back into life makes a person feel more alive. Metaphors are spread throughout the movie; metaphors about climbing yourself into a trap that you can’t climb back out of, about persisting to the top just because you have come so far already, and about the treachery that often waits at the summit. But my very favorite line of the movie is, “You have to keep making decisions, even if they’re wrong decisions. If you quit deciding, you’re stuffed.� The honesty of this movie is refreshing—no cloak and dagger philosophy, just telling it like it is.

The story, however, is as depressing as it is triumphant. Don’t get me wrong, we celebrate every victory with Joe, regardless of how small. We want him to survive. We want him to conquer. We believe in the spirit and ability of mankind to overcome incredible odds. But as Joe grapples with death (and he does so several times), he makes consistent statements about how alone he feels throughout the journey.

The Challenge of Death—Of course, I waited (rather impatiently, I must admit) for the film to answer the all-consuming “moment of truth� question—does he come to believe in a power greater than himself or does his humanistic philosophy win out? It is strange how this question must be answered, even if we aren’t the ones dying. In the backs of our minds, each of us wonders…if it got right down to it, would I believe in God? Joe does not and he states very blatantly, very confidently, his atheistic view of life. When you die, that’s it. There’s nothing else, it’s over. Fair enough. Maybe the prospect of death doesn't make a believer out of him, but apparently, neither does the prospect of life. Regardless of what miraculous events occur as he climbs his way to safety, Joe continually encounters solitude in his deepest moments of need. The end is bittersweet. His last two statements draw a clear picture of what it's like to have God absent, and then what it's like to have God present. When he reaches base camp in the middle of the night and calls out, no one answers. He says, “When no one answered the call, I lost something. I lost me.� Then, when Simon and Richard rescue him, the thing he remembers most is, “…Simon grabbing my shoulders and holding me. I remember the feeling of being held.�

It has been said to me from time to time, that there is a God-shaped void within each of us, just waiting to be filled. I believe that’s true, and apparently so does Joe Simpson. At every point of desperation and reaching out for help, his unbelief forces him to look inside. There is nothing. There is a void. He touches it, time and time again. Now, it’s amazing to me how anyone can go through such an incredible event and not believe even a little bit. But, how incredible are our lives, and how many miracles do we encounter on our 70 year visit to this Earth? More than we think. Do we see God’s hand of provision? Do we believe? Or do we touch the void of self-sufficiency?

LINKS
—Overview
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections