[dl] FILM
An experienced climber pushes a group of sightless, teenage novices toward the top of a mountain in the new documentary Blindsight.
By Elisabeth Deffner
Climbing to the top of the Seven Summits — the highest peak on each continent — is unquestionably difficult. That’s why fewer than 200 people have ever done it. Harder, still, is climbing to the top of the Seven Summits without being able to see — at all. That’s why only one person, Erik Weihenmayer — a 39-year-old resident of Golden, Colorado, who was born legally blind and lost his vision completely at age 13 — has ever done it.
So what’s harder than climbing all seven of the peaks when you’re blind? How about trying to lead a group of novice climbers, all teenagers, to the top of a 23,000-foot-tall mountain that neighbors Mount Everest? That’s the challenge Weihenmayer took on in 2004. With a camera crew chronicling their every move, Weihenmayer and six students from Braille Without Borders, a groundbreaking Tibet-based school for the blind, hiked up a peak called Lhakpa Ri. Along the very difficult way toward the top, Weihenmayer clashed with the school’s founder, Sabriye Tenberken. Weihenmayer wanted to push hard for the summit. Tenberken, who had initially invited Weihenmayer to simply conduct a “small climbing workshop” with her students, was glad to see the students accomplish any part of the climb. That difference, along with each of the students’ inspirational personal stories, is the basis for the gripping new documentary Blindsight. For his part, Weihenmayer says the film and the climb taught him that achievement isn’t always found at the summit.
On why Weihenmayer says he took on the challenge of the climb:“Sabriye Tenberken’s work makes these kids feel it’s okay to be who they are. I thought it would be cool to continue Sabriye’s work, to make an impact the way I could make it. [I wanted] to teach them that the outdoors is an environment that’s hostile and chaotic, especially if you’re blind. But to flourish in the outdoors helps you in other areas of your life — being able to push through adversity, relying on your team to be able to do that, relying on yourself, using things that are tough to push yourself forward.”
On why climbing blind works best with a team:“Climbing is a great team sport because, especially when you’re blind, you’re trusting a partner. When you think about building your team, it all begins with trust. Climbing has taught me a lot in terms of being blind. You can accept help as long as you can give it in return. Are you a sack of potatoes being dragged to the top or are you contributing?”
On why the kids were just one of his challenges:“The film crew was a piece of the tug-of-war in the climb. They’d say, ‘Could you do that again?’ And you’d be like, ‘Dude, it’s zero degrees out, my hands are numb, the kids’ hands are numb. I can’t do that again.’ ”
On whether he pushed the kids too far:“When I’m listening to the movie, a side of me has winced from time to time and thought, ‘Wow, I hope I’m not the villain of this movie.’ Everyone had very good intentions. The filmmakers did a very good job showing how everyone got to those positions. You kind of understand both sides. It leaves you with questions. And even though we had disagreements, we never lost respect for each other.”
On the meaning of accomplishment:“I think we probably focused too much on, ‘Hey, we’re going to climb a peak — to the summit.’ That’s the big question it leaves me with in the film: How far is too far? Can you reach too far? Did I reach too far with the kids? In retrospect, I would approach it differently and say, ‘We’re going on a great adventure, but it’s not so important what the outcome is.’”
On whether he’d ever try another climb like the one in Blindsight:“Kyila [one of the teenage climbers] said, ‘Erik, we all want to know if you’ll come back next year and take us up Everest.’ I said, ‘But I don’t think you guys like climbing.’ They were like, ‘No, we love climbing!’ Then I said, just to tease them, ‘You guys can’t climb, you’re blind!’ And they said, ‘Yes, we can! We’re going to climb it, you wait and see.’ ”
Inspiration Theater
A brief look at six other great films about overcoming disabilities
The Miracle Worker: This 1962 film was lauded by critics and showered with awards, including two Oscars. It tells the story of how Helen Keller — rendered blind and deaf by what today’s doctors believe was scarlet fever — learns to communicate with sign language, thanks to teacher Annie Sullivan.
DID YOU KNOW? Patty Duke played Keller in the original film, and then, all grown up, took on Anne Bancroft’s role of Annie Sullivan in a 1979 TV remake.
The Other Side of the Mountain: In 1955, downhill skier Jill Kinmont was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and on her way to competing in the 1956 Winter Olympics. During a competition in Utah, she fell and was paralyzed from the neck down. This 1975 film dramatizes her true story of living with paralysis.
DID YOU KNOW? The movie’s theme song, “Richard’s Window,” was sung by Olivia Newton-John and nominated for an Academy Award.
The Terry Fox Story: This 1983 HBO movie was about a Canadian runner who lost his leg to cancer and then set out on a quest to run across Canada with one prosthetic leg.
DID YOU KNOW? The film starred Eric Fryer, who, like Fox, is an amputee.
My Left Foot: This 1989 star turn for Daniel Day-Lewis tells the true story of Irish writer Christy Brown, who was believed to be developmentally disabled as a child. In fact, Brown was born with cerebral palsy. He teaches himself to write and paint with his left foot, his only controllable limb.
DID YOU KNOW? Though Daniel Day-Lewis is British, the role of Brown was the first in a string of parts — including his roles in The Boxer and In the Name of the Father — in which his character was Irish.
The Mighty: This 1998 film tells the story of two seventh-grade boys (one played by Kieran Culkin, brother of Macaulay) who feel like outsiders. One of the boys has a learning disability, the other has Morquio’s syndrome, which causes his bones to stop growing. But what makes these two different from the other kids bonds them together.
DID YOU KNOW? Just three years after Sharon Stone received an Oscar nomination for her role in Casino, she was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her supporting role in The Mighty.
Ray: The true story of how Ray Charles lost his sight at age six and then went on to become a rhythm-and-blues legend was a hit at the box office in 2004 and at the Oscars.
DID YOU KNOW? Jamie Foxx won a lead-actor Oscar for playing Charles and was nominated for a supporting-actor Oscar in the same year for his part in Collateral. — E.D.