"The Last Descent" Pulls at Your Heartstrings

I recently received a copy of "The Last Descent", a film based on the actual events that occurred not far from where I live in Utah in a place called "Nutty Putty Cave". Before watching the movie, I was vaguely aware of the incident, but did not know any of the truly pertinent details. Without providing too many spoilers, let me say that it stays true to life events, and life is often bittersweet. The way the film handles the events, however, I found to a tribute to those involved instead of sensationalizing them as a movie like this could easily have done.

First off, if claustrophobia is something you struggle with, this movie might not be for you as the protagonist spends most of the movie trapped in a very tight space underground. The movie does an excellent job of helping you feel like you're there and really works up the suspense. Not having seen the news stories about the incident, I really didn't have any idea how it ended.

What impressed me most about this movie, however, was that it managed to work in other storylines besides the rescue, organically bringing in the backstory of the main character and his wife in a way that made you feel much more deeply about the plight of the man stuck in the cave. It also did interesting things with other scenes that you did not know were real or simply a hallucination suffered by a person under extreme duress.

At the end, I felt walked away with a greater appreciation for the bonds of family and for those who put their own lives on the line in an attempt to save others.

You can watch the movie trailer here:

Or go ahead and purchase the movie here: https://deseretbook.com/p/dvd-last-descent?variant_id=145572-dvd