Day 75: The Goriest Amputation Scene in Film History

According to reports from the Toronto film festival, when viewers watched the movie 127 Hours, there were three people who fainted and one who had a seizure. Why such a strong reaction? Well, the main character, Aron, is a mountain climber who gets stuck in a canyon when a boulder crushes his arm. He is unable to free himself or receive help for five days, and in a last-ditch effort to save his life, HE AMPUTATES HIS OWN ARM.

As The Guardian said, "the scenes of mountain climber Ralston taking off his own arm to free himself after a fall are among the most realistic of graphic gore ever put on film"

I was half hoping that I too would faint or vomit or something so that I could add that to my list of New Things, but for Day 75, I can say that I saw the movie 127 Hours and it was amazing.

It showed me that I never, ever want to go to the Utah desert, that I'm not cut out for climbing into canyons and that I L-O-V-E my arm. It also showed me that Aron Ralston is a total badass for being able to do all of these things that I couldn't. He survived the worst of the worst. He is a testament to how much humans will sacrifice to stay alive and the power of the mind to overcome horrendous obstacles. Even after five days of not eating and having minimal water, he had the energy and resolve to amputate his own arm with a 2-inch pocketknife in order not to die in that cave.

I don't think I could have been so bold. I would've been way too skittish to even cut through the top layer of skin. I don't know how many times I would vomit or pass out from the mere sight of my own arm performing such a gory feat on the other. Although, perhaps, after 5 days of no food and the delusions and insanity that overcome a person in this situation, maybe I could have.

Let's all hope that none of us ever has to find out.

You have to see this movie. It is hugely entertaining and really makes a person think about the lengths you would go to save your own life and the power we have to get ourselves out of horrendous situations.