Torn (2021 documentary)

Torn is a 2021 American documentary film by photographer and explorer Max Lowe, son of the late climber Alex Lowe, who explored his father's high-profile mountain climbing death on the Himalayan peak, Mount Shishapangma, in 1999. His body was discovered 17 years after his death in 2016. The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival and was released in the US on December 3, 2021. National Geographic Documentary Films produced the film in partnership with Lightbox.

Synopsis
On October 5, 1999, Alex Lowe was killed by an avalanche on the slopes of the Tibetan mountain, Shishapangma. His best friend and climbing partner, Conrad Anker, survived the avalanche by fleeing the opposite direction. After the tragedy, Anker and Alex's widow, Jennifer, married, and Anker stepped in to help raise Alex's three sons.

Max's inspiration for filming the documentary was the 2016 discovery of his father's body on Shishapangma. Two climbers found his body on the melted glacier where he had been buried by the avalanche. The family travelled to Tibet to retrieve and cremate his remains in a pyre at base camp. Weaving together archival footage of Alex's climbing adventures in home movies and interviews with Jennifer, Conrad, and sons Sam and Isaac, the film examines the impact of his father's life and death, and on his blended family.

Torn was streamed on Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN.

Reception
Torn scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews. It received The New York Times' Critic's Pick, and was one of several National Geographic Documentary Films to qualify for Oscar consideration in 2022. RogerEbert.com gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it a "piercing and viscerally emotional film" and the LA Times called it "satisfyingly emotional without ever feeling sensationalized."

Awards
{|class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Category ! Award ! Result || Banff Mountain Film Festival || Won
 * 2021 || Grand Prize || Kendal Mountain Film Festival|| Won
 * 2021 || Best Feature Film
 * 2021 || Best Feature Film
 * 2021 || Best Feature Film
 * 2022 || Best Climbing Film || Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival|| Won
 * 2022 || Audience Award || Aspen Film Festival|| Won
 * 2022 || Audience Award || Aspen Film Festival|| Won
 * 2022 || Audience Award || Aspen Film Festival|| Won