Expert recreations add suspense to this mountain-climbing disaster doc

Tethered together, and opting to tackle the titanic mountain in one sustained trek (rather than setting up various way-station camps), Yates and Simpson fall into mortal danger when the latter breaks his leg and, shortly thereafter, finds himself dangling off a cliff, still connected to the former. Faced with an impossible choice, Yates cuts Simpson loose, a decision that allows him to live (if just barely), and which he believes results in Simpson’s death. That Simpson survives is evident by the fact that he’s narrating his own story, but that knowledge does little to alter the anxious tension generated by Touching The Void as it depicts Simpson’s arduous struggle to escape an enormous crevice and shimmy his way back down the mountain with one good leg.

Macdonald shoots his recreations with a bracing up-close-and-personal lucidity. The result is the rare documentary to employ staged material not for mere flourish, but to convey—without scripted histrionics and melodramatic clichés—the logistical and emotional specifics of its harrowing true tale.

Availability: Touching The Void is available on Blu-ray and DVD through Amazon or possibly your local video store/library. It’s also currently streaming on Netflix, and can be rented or purchased through the major digital services.