186. Climbing Blind; movie review

CLIMBING BLIND
Cert 12A
81 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

Try walking to the end of your garden wearing a tight blindfold. I bet you cannot reach your gate.
Jesse Dufton's trainer, similarly simulated blindness before tackling the smallest of rock climbs and was almost overwhelmed with relief after his student guided him to the top.
Dufton doesn't have the luxury of pretending to be sightless... at just four, he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa: a rare genetic disease that breaks down the retinas' cells.
Aged 20, he could no longer read and by the time he was 30 his vision was reduced to just light perception with around one or two per cent field of view.
However, he is a serious climber - taking on challenges which would daunt a fully-sighted person.
He leads ascents with shouted guidance from Molly, a long-time friend who last year became his wife.
Alastair Lee, a movie-maker who specialises in climbing films followed the pair as they faced The Old Man Of Hoy, a stack of rocks which rise vertically off the coast of Orkney.
In parallel, his documentary tells Jesse's story, showing why he has such an indomitable spirit and faith that scientific breakthroughs may result in his eyesight returning.
Consequently, Climbing Blind is not just a mind-boggling climbing story with high-quality camerawork - it is also both heartbreaking and uplifting.
In other words, the viewer goes through a gamut of emotions in a short time.
But I can't believe that anyone who watches Climbing Blind will not be overflowing with admiration for Dufton and what he has achieved.
He is a man who literally doesn't see the obstacles and he and his wife Molly have such a strong bond that they are happy to put their lives in each other's hands.
Theirs is a truly remarkable love story and they are heroes in a world where there are few.

Reasons to watch: Remarkable story of determination in adversity
Reasons to avoid: Shorter than it needed to be

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Erik Weihenmayer is an American athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker who was the first person without sight to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 25, 2001.

The final word. Jesse Dufton: "My brain is very good at building mental models. If you’ve ever seen those 3D CAD drawings, it’s a bit like that. I build one of those in my head and know where everything is. And I do the same thing for a rock route, I can kind of imagine what things look like.” Mpora

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