Torn

This is more a movie about love than one about alpinism (for that, you'd want to watch Meru, also features Conrad Anker). As far as a love story goes, this one is quite original. It is emotionally complex, yet delicate, so much so that no Hollywood scrptwriter has dared tackle this topic yet, at least not from this angle. This movie is a bit rough on the edges (for instance, it can try to delve deeper in Conrad's psyche) but nonetheless, quite enjoyable to watch.

The title of this movie was so well chosen. "Torn" is every single person in this family from Alex himself (caught between his family and his passion) but also his wife, his three children and Conrad.

It was such a special documentary to watch with the footage and documentation from back then and today. Every step of the way was documented. Such a great tribute to Alex Lowe, his family and Conrad Anker.

Alex Lowe would surely be proud and what a beautiful legacy to leave one's father.

Coming from a patchwork family, I could also really relate to the inner conflict of the different people in the documentary.

Sobbed so much at the ending. This movie will stick with me for a while.

I am very invested in the rock climbing scene and knew the Anker/Lowe story from articles, and documentaries of the past so I was very interested to see what the story looked like from the sons of Alex. I loved the heart and authenticity of it. For that, I give it 8 stars From a technical and story structure aspect, I found it lacking. I greatly respect Max for tackling what is a very deep and personal documentary, but he certainly isn't the most experienced documentarian. Some of the editing was choppy and some of the visuals were used a couple too many times to maintain an air of freshness. The song during the credits is also used during the credits of the Alpinist, just kind of a funny coincidence.

I don't want to be harsh in the film by any means. I truly enjoyed it. I give it an 8 for the genuine respect I have for the Lowes and Ankers and the authenticity that was brought to such a hard topic. It fell short of a 10 for me only for film making reasons.

I just happened upon this title in my Disney+ app and decided to give it a go. It's definitely worth watching, even if you don't know the family story or the details of the patriarch's untimely death. It's beautifully put together and comes across as incredibly genuine. Be ready to grab a box of tissue.

Meet Alex Lowe, his climbing partners and his family. Get to know the real hero of the Alex Lowe story, Conrad Anker. He did everything Alex could do and couldn't do. Mad respect.