In recent years, climbing has turned from a niche activity into a well-known sport. One reason for this is competitive indoor climbing’s emergence as a popular sport, leading to it being an event at the 2020 Olympic Games. But a larger explanation comes from climbing in media. National Geographic and other production companies continue to produce big-budget documentaries about climbers and their projects. Director Jimmy Chin’s film “Free Solo” even won an Academy Award for best documentary in 2019.
National Geographic’s newest movie, however, centers not on an individual scaling an enormous rock face or entering the death zone in the highest peaks on the planet, but on the effects that climbing have on a family. “Torn,” released on Disney+ on Dec. 3, was directed by Max Lowe and is about the loss of his father, Alex Lowe, and how their family recovered in the aftermath.
Alex Lowe died in an avalanche on Mount Shishapangma, Tibet in 1999 when Max was just 10 years old. Soon after, Max’s mom, Jennifer Lowe, remarried to Conrad Anker, who was climbing partners and close friends with Alex. While his two younger brothers were too young for the death to have impacted them greatly, Max experienced enormous grief as well as having to adapt to having a new father. Then, 17 years later, his father’s body was found on the mountain, and the wound was reopened for their entire family. Now, Max is ready to tell the story of his father and their family, and it will break your heart only to put it back together.
One way that Max bridges the time since his father’s passing is by including Alex’s photographs and videos. At the beginning of the documentary, you see the family sorting through thousands of rolls of film from Alex’s expeditions as well as his time at home. Throughout the movie, Max displays the pictures from his father’s camera to reflect a life torn between the mountains and his children. The images are constantly compared side by side to reflect a story about how difficult Alex’s split-life was. The images also show the beauty of a life lost too soon and tell the story not just through Max’s eyes, but through his late father’s. Max follows a similar pattern with the videos his father took back in the 1990s. You can see the joy that his family brings him as he videotapes his children skiing and sleeping in the car after a long day. Finally, at the end of the film, Max sees the last photographs from his father’s camera, that were buried under the ice with him for 17 years. Including the footage of the family gathered around the computer in 2017 opening the photos from 1999 brings the use of photography full circle.
More meaningful still are the interviews that Max does with his family, including his mother, his brothers and Anker. Throughout the documentary, you see each of them grow and overcome many of buried hardships from over the years. His brothers begin by questioning Max if he thinks the documentary is a good idea for their family or if it will only put them in further heartache. His mother starts by feeling attacked by her son questioning her choices. It ends, however, with the family being able to grow together through the tough conversations and feeling closer because of them. Max hugs Anker, calls him dad and tells him he loves him despite the loss he feels for Alex.
This documentary doesn’t have as much adventure as a normal National Geographic climbing film, but the story may be more meaningful. It is one of loss, grief, growth and recovery. It may make you cry – I did for the last hour of the run time – but it will also leave you with a beautiful story of a family struggling with their past and being stronger for it. Whether you are a climber and know Lowe and Anker’s story already, or you like documentaries and want to watch something new, I highly suggest you give “Torn” a chance.