I'll be honest, I heard about this film and didn't want to watch it. It sounded disgustingly gory and not my sort of thing but my boyfriend was adamant that I should give it a chance.
I have to admit...he was right!
The film (based on real events) is directed by Danny Boyle and stars James Franco who plays Aron Ralston. Aron is very much an independant daredevil character who loves to escape from the real world and seeks adventure pretty much wherever he goes.
In the film he is exploring Utah's Canyonlands National Park and accidentally slips and falls down a crevasse where a massive boulder traps his hand, pinning it to the side of the wall. It's one of those scenes when you know it's coming but it still makes you cringe when you watch it!
The rest of the film consists of him slowing starving, running out of food and water, having to drink his own urine (very unpleasant) hallucinating, hacking away at the rock with a blunt knife and contemplating his life. He actually documents this whole experience on camcorder, supposedly for his loved ones to watch in case he doesn't make it out.
But that's not the end of it! He gets to a point when he has to choose between living and dying because he knows he won't be found. In an extremely convincing, well acted scene, he breaks his arm in a few places before sawing away at the ligaments with his blunt knife....the worst bit is the sound effect when he cuts through a ligament (It's hard to describe on here but it went right through me! I couldn't watch!)
The most surreal bit is when he does it and he falls away from the rock, there's almost disbelief at the fact that he is now free. (Honestly James Franco's acting is superb) Luckily he finds his way out of the crevasse and eventually a few hours later he sees some other hikers and is rescued.
I didn't expect this film to come across as inspiring but it honestly did. Aron realises how pushing everybody away in his life hasn't done him any favours and he starts to see the boulder pinning his arm down as destiny, in a way. In order for him to appreciate everything in his life. He claims the rock chose him and he learnt a valuable lesson. In one of his hallucinations he claims to have seen his future unborn son who in real life was born a few years later :)
A really touching moment is at the end of the film, you see the real life Aron Ralston who is still a dare devil and keen adventurist. (I couldn't believe the experience hadn't put him off!)
This was a film that really inspired me in a way, an amazing story of one man's determination for survival.
I also recommend reading the film trivia on IMDB which is pretty interesting as well :)