Torn', Max Lowe's film about his father Alex
When he was just 11 years old, Max Lowe had to deal with the sad experience of his father's death. Alex Lowe in an avalanche in the Himalayas. Now, two decades after that tragedy, Max Lowe wants to unearth all that was hidden about the death of his father - and heal wounds - considered one of the best mountaineers of that decade in the film "The Alpinist".Torn".
Max Lowe's family tragedy
Filmmaker Max Lowe is practically the second protagonist of the film because he is in every moment of the documentary. He is always at the forefront of the narrative or behind the cameras to make sure that the objective is maintained: to accurately expose everything his family went through. Although it is a complex story because it brings a family tragedy to the present, mountaineering enthusiasts were expecting something like this about Alex Lowe.
Max Lowe's childhood was cut short when his father, Alex, one of the best mountaineers in the worldwas hit by an avalanche in Tibet. Following his father's legacy, Max as a filmmaker exposes his family, his mother Jenni and his brothers, Sam and Isaac, in order to tell the story of his family's journey. the legend of Alex Lowe and its legacy.
The legacy of Alex Lowe
The film Torn is not a documentary about mountaineering and its risks, but rather the story of a family who experienced firsthand how violent the mountains can be.
Max as a filmmaker not only makes his feature debut, but also bases it on his own family, one of the most reckless risks for a film producer. This documentary is the narration of the pain of an adult who as a child encountered how cruel a mountain can be when his father was taken from him. An emotionally affected son who doesn't understand why something like this happened to his father and seeks answers to questions he didn't always want to ask.
What we will find in the film Torn
The documentary is full of memories with the unpublished images from Alex Lowe's personal archive. On view will be actual videos of various extreme climbs that Alex Lowe made during his lifetime. Scenes abound of the dangers he faced while climbing, but also of how much he loved his children.
Through the images you can see the affection Alex's children felt for him and how the family is still trying to understand him. It was not easy for the three children to assimilate why their father was willing to risk his life in such a way knowing that he had a family that loved and cherished him.
As a filmmaker Max takes this documentary to a level beyond the simple short films he was used to making. He modifies some sequences to achieve through image and video editing to put together pictures of his father with his brothers in an astonishing way.
The contrasting scenes of Alex climbing and his family hiking the trails are striking.
The scenes of breathtaking natural landscapes are the highlight of this documentary and watching what Alex Lowe saw with his own eyes is a very particular way of paying tribute to this outstanding mountaineer, who, as many may think, was expected to give up his life on one of his daring expeditions. The musical arrangement, especially in the more intense moments of the film, gives it a well-crafted emotional touch.
The documentary begins with interviews with the family and in places close to Alex's former home.. The house, filled with the idyllic love story of the mountaineer and Jenni, gives evidence that everyone felt at home there. The way the family converses through the interviews shows that Max, rather than telling a story, wants to find answers to his father's true story.
The tragedy of the death of Alex Lowe is a historic event in the world of mountaineering, but this documentary goes beyond that. It is like a bridge between Alex's death and the continuity of his family's life. Max's father's best friend, Conrad, his partner in adventure, will be the stepfather.
This film is not just another narrative about Alex Lowe. It is now his own son who, although he was not in the escalation that led to his father's death, is the most credible viewer of what Alex Lowe really was.
