By Emily Gagne, CBC News

When the end credits started rolling at the 127 Hours premiere last night, nearly everyone in the Ryerson Theatre (including myself) rose from their seats to give Danny Boyle, James Franco and the movie's inspiration, Aron Ralston, a well-deserved standing ovation. Well, everyone except three people.

During the film's climax, in which Franco's Aron graphically amputates his right arm with a dollar-store pocketknife, the theatre was nearly silent - save for one loud gasp. My friend and I, who were sitting in the middle of the second level, thought it was just someone reacting to the overwhelming emotion of the scene and so, we kept our eyes glued to Franco's bloody forearm. But just a minute or so later, our eyes were ripped away from the screen by the harsh glare of a flashlight.

Suddenly, a row a section over from us cleared and a group of men lifted a dark figure up and towards the stairs. It seems that as soon as Aron cut off the circulation in his forearm, this moviegoer fell to the floor. I didn't get the person's name, or even see their face, but from what I hear, he or she was just one of three people who collapsed during that particular scene.

And apparently this isn't the first time it's happened. Similar incidents occurred when 127 Hours screened at the Telluride Film Festival last week. According to IndieWire, one man fainted and another woman suffered a panic attack at various points during the film.

To be honest, I didn't find the scene that graphic, and neither did my usually squeamish screening partner. But I suppose for someone who has a weak stomach, or an issue with small spaces, it could be seriously disturbing. At least 75 per cent of the film takes place in a small cave where Aron was stuck for, you got it, 127 hours, so the film is naturally very claustrophobic and uncomfortable.

I'm sure it also didn't help knowing that the amputation was taken from real-life and that the man Franco was portraying was sitting somewhere in the dark theatre with them, a small claw taking the place of his long-lost limb. Personally though, I found that fact extremely moving.

To be totally, unashamedly honest, I started tearing up when Aron, and his now-half arm, finally got out of the canyon. And I continued to stifle my tears when Ralston took the stage for the Q & A, and choked up expressing his gratitude to Boyle and Franco for bringing his struggle for survival to the screen for his family to see (his wife and sister were in attendance). But I certainly didn't faint. I saved my Scarlett O'Hara impression for the post-screening James Franco stage-door stalking. Needless to say, I'm still recovering.

You can follow Emily throughout #TIFF10 on Twitter at @emilygagne