#touching the void

He was still grinning, and his confidence was infectious. Who said one man can’t rescue another, I thought.

— ON TRYING TO NOT BE MORE INTERESTING BUT BE MORE INTERESTED

Fire of Love (2022) - the love story of two volcanologists, set against the fiery backdrop of our planet's awesome and terrifying destructive power. The awe-inspiring scale of volcanic eruptions is juxtaposed with the personal, intimate story of these two soulmates.

Into the Inferno (2016) - a study of volcanoes and the way they shape the cultures and societies around them, told in Werner Herzog's usual profound and existentialist way

The Dawn Wall (2017) - the odd and amazing story of a man who decides to scale a 3000-foot cliff with his bare hands

Touching the Void (2003) - the thrilling survival of two men who climb up a mountain, and the harsh choice that is made when one of them gets injured

Man on Wire (2008) - a portrait of an eccentric and unusual man who decides to perform an illegal tightrope-walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Encounters at the End of the World (2007) - a captivating portrayal of the daily life of scientists in Antarctica. Werner Herzog transforms the bleak and frozen environment into a surreal and mind-boggling alien landscape.

The Deepest Breath (2023) - the story of a record-breaking female free-diver (someone who swims as deep as possible then returns to the surface with a single breath)

Last Breath (2019) - the story of a diver carrying out deep-sea repairs when his umbilical cable gets cut off, leaving him stranded at the bottom of the ocean

Sherpa (2015) - a depiction of the injustice faced by the Sherpas of Nepal, who have the thankless job of helping rich tourists climb up Mount Everest. The filming of the documentary is interrupted by an avalanche, throwing the crew and their subjects into chaos.

Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake (2022) - a similar documentary about a devastating earthquake and the Nepalis, foreign tourists, and Everest climbers who were impacted by it. I cried a lot.

Take Care of Maya (2023) - the devastating story of a young girl with a rare neurological condition, who is wrongfully taken from her parents when they are falsely suspected of abusing her. I cried A LOT.

Abducted in Plain Sight (2017) - a true crime documentary about a predator who worms his way into a family. Some of the most staggeringly clueless parents I've ever seen in my fucking life

Favorite films watched in July 2024: 

Close-Up (1990), dir. Abbas Kiarostami

The Earth is Blue as an Orange (2020), dir. Iryna Tsilyk

Touching the Void (2003), dir. Kevin Macdonald

Slow (2023), dir. Marija Kavtaradzė

Kim Seon Ho is a good boy even in real life. 😍

We're never gonna be the same as we've been before!

SUBLIME CINEMA #157 - TOUCHING THE VOID