Torn

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Torn

2021

1h 32m

Documentary

Sports & Fitness

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100%

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19 Reviews

82%

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50+ Ratings

Widely hailed as the greatest mountaineer of his generation, Alex Lowe was a towering figure in the world of outdoor sports. But he loomed even larger for his oldest son, Max, who was only 11 in 1999 when Alex was buried by an avalanche along with cameraman David Bridges while attempting to ski the north face of Mount Shishapangma in the Tibetan Himalaya. Seventeen years after their deaths, Lowe's and Bridges' bodies were found by two climbers attempting the same route, and in the following months, Lowe's family journeyed to the remote mountain to recover them. In the powerful and deeply moving new documentary TORN, director Max Lowe examines the long-buried feelings this unearthed for him and his family, including his mother, Jennifer; his younger brothers, Sam and Isaac; and his stepfather, Conrad Anker, Alex's climbing partner and best friend.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

01/21/2022

4/5

Part family therapy, part weapons-grade tearjerker, this quite lovely documentary from the novice film-maker Max Lowe is an attempt to grapple with the implications of his father's death.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

01/18/2022

4/5

One of its pleasures is that everyone here is thoroughly decent, with a real story to tell.

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

01/07/2022

[A] family story given elegant structure and poignancy...

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Mark Serrels

CNET

03/28/2023

Torn is a sympathetic portrait of Anker. It's also a heartbreaking portrait of a family who, more than 20 years after Lowe's death, still seems to be in recovery mode.

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Rahul Desai

News9 Live (India)

07/25/2022

Nothing about it is natural. But across Torn, Conrad Anker goes from guest to tireless companion – one who punctures the loneliness and cements the solitude of a broken family.

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Sr. Rose Pacatte

St. Anthony Messenger

03/25/2022

The film is commendable because of how it deals so sensitively and honestly with Alex’s struggle to choose between family and his passion for mountain climbing.

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Ivy B

@RT49307978 Jun 19

Torn is one of those rare documentaries that quietly breaks through the walls we build around our hearts. Heartbreaking, beautiful, and somehow capable of releasing emotions that words often can’t…..

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Nick D.

@inonomus Feb 8

Emotional. Gripping. Eye-opening.

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Marilyn B

@RT91584320 07/08/2025

Interesting film, not sure Alex was very likeable, he certainly didn’t seem to understand that his wife and children had needs. The part of the film in the car where Alex is talking to the boys was odd, they seemed not comfortable with him. He was a bit overbearing, you have to wonder how he would have handled three stroppy teenagers.

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Kay T

@RT38246120 06/14/2025

I don't get what you guys are going on about - does Conrad getting together with Jennifer not weird you guys out one bit? How does this movie deserve a 100%

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PRISCILLA S

@RT90161972 09/07/2024

An amazingly beautiful story of life, loss and the ability to live and love again. Thank you for the bravery of sharing your story.

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kirk m

@RT71593987 03/13/2022

Absolutely loved this heart wrenching, heart warming tale of a family's reckoning of their past experiences dealing with the death of Alex Lowe. Conrad clearly finds himself in a predicament with no easy explanations, other than love as the conquering emotion. He handles, and as handled his situation with maturity, sincerity, and above all love for his family. Only one question I have for Conrad, never explained in the movie .. with such an experienced group, knowing the dangers, and Alex already leery of these dangers and his family back home, why .. WHY didn't they have transceivers? Such as basic tenant of adventuring in the mountains where avalanche is a real theat. A beacon may have saved the day.

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Max Lowe

Director

Conrad Anker

Self

Jonathan Chinn

Producer

Simon Chinn

Producer

Chris Murphy

Producer

Ryan Harrington

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Widely hailed as the greatest mountaineer of his generation, Alex Lowe was a towering figure in the world of outdoor sports. But he loomed even larger for his oldest son, Max, who was only 11 in 1999 when Alex was buried by an avalanche along with cameraman David Bridges while attempting to ski the north face of Mount Shishapangma in the Tibetan Himalaya. Seventeen years after their deaths, Lowe's and Bridges' bodies were found by two climbers attempting the same route, and in the following months, Lowe's family journeyed to the remote mountain to recover them. In the powerful and deeply moving new documentary TORN, director Max Lowe examines the long-buried feelings this unearthed for him and his family, including his mother, Jennifer; his younger brothers, Sam and Isaac; and his stepfather, Conrad Anker, Alex's climbing partner and best friend.

Director: Max Lowe
Producer: Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Chris Murphy, Max Lowe
Screenwriter: Michael Harte
Distributor: National Geographic Documentary Films
Production Co: Lightbox, Technicolor
Genre: Documentary, Sports & Fitness
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2022
Runtime: 1h 32m