Thursday, March 6, 2008

"Blindsight" opens in NYC

A new documentary about six blind Tibetan teens climbing 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri, "Blindsight," opened in NY city March 5. The New York Times gave it a good review, saying: "Featuring exceptional people doing extraordinary things, “Blindsight” is one of those documentaries with the power to make you re-examine your entire life — or at least get off the couch."

You can see a clip from it here. The teens are led by Erik Weihenmayer, the only blind person to have climbed Everest. The climb allows the teens to confront cultural beliefs in their country that blind people are sinners or demonic.

It appears to be an intriguing documentary. I will admit to having a soft spot for mountain climbing documentaries, because it's not something I have any desire to do, but it is fun to "climb through film." Two of my favorites of the genre are the 1998 IMAX documentary, "Everest," and 2003's "Touching the Void," the true story of climbers in crisis while trying to descend a mountain in the Peruvian Andes.