One may vaguely recall the headlines of a death-defying feat accomplished last year.
Climber Alex Honnold scaled El Capitan in Yosemite without any ropes or harnesses (free soloing, as it’s known), a staggering 3000 feet of sheer granite. What failed to be mentioned in the headlines was that filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin were there to document the entire event, as well as the subsequent story behind Honnold, the man who accomplished this journey. What kind of person would do such a thing? Are they an adrenaline junkie, or impervious to fear? Were they dropped on their head as a child? How eccentric must they be?
These are the questions Free Solo sets out to answer. We are given a remarkably intimate look at Alex and his routine that is all building toward this lifelong goal that most would deem a suicide mission. He would retort, what is the purpose of living if not pushing yourself to your greatest potential? Throughout the film, we are shown an up-close look at the climber’s experience, which is far more premeditated than one may imagine. I appreciate any film that clues in its viewers to an expert’s methodology instead of leaving them out in the cold. We’re given plenty of intel to keep up with Alex on his insane preparation.
The primary selling point of the film, of course, is the climbing action, and frankly, there has never been a better documentation of climbing. Director Jimmy Chin took us to the top of Meru with his last film, a remarkable feat in itself. And yet something about free soloing, and the massive stakes that are associated with it (as well as perhaps some refined filmmaking work in his team’s second bout) makes this viewing exponentially more visceral. In a packed audience, you can feel every single person holding their breath during tense moments, and catching sighs of relief any chance they get. If you like this type of experience (hint: I do), don’t wait to catch this ride.
In a packed audience, you can feel every single person holding their breath during tense moments, and catching sighs of relief any chance they get. If you like this type of experience (hint: I do), don’t wait to catch this ride.
To film such feats properly, one must be a climber and get close to the action. Traditional documentary form tends to hide the crew and make the filmmaking process seamless and invisible. In most cases, this is the preferred, elegant method. But to pull off filming such a crazy event requires intense logistics and climbing skills in their own right, all on top of filmmaking. The film smartly breaks the fourth wall to give us a window behind the scenes and the cameramen involved in telling this story. Like many of the other elements, it pays off perfectly. Getting to watch Alex climb is like watching Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, or any other athlete at peak prowess strut their stuff: it’s electric.
The other apt comparison to make is Philippe Petit, the French trapeze artist who walked the high wire between the World Trade Center Towers in the 1970s. In this sense, Alex’s climb may arguably be a work of art, mixed with athletic prowess, much like Petit. The 2008 documentary Man on Wire was made long after the fact and yet still brought us to the scene and created a heist-like movie experience in ways few non-fiction films had before. Now imagine that cameras had been rolling for that experience, and you get an idea of how satisfying Free Solo is to watch.
There’s a non-climbing side handled deftly well to match the action. Alex’s relationship with his girlfriend allows us a window into his soul and his brutally fearless temperament that explains why he’s the one to go for this mad climb. Earlier this year, another phenomenal documentary was released on the subject, titled Mountain. That film is more of a transcendental ode to why we love the mountains, whereas Free Solo is the palm-sweating action movie. The two complement each other well and combined, are some of the best new movies of 2018, a double feature waiting to be billed.
In an era where many of the great human accomplishments have already been checked off, and every mountain has seemingly been climbed as well as mapped on Google, this is a testament there are still human physical achievements yet to be completed and spectacular feats to behold. Free Solo is a visceral cinematic experience, perfect for a movie theater, and a perfectly captured milestone by Chin, Vasarhelyi, and their crew of filmmakers. Few will go out and attempt such feats for themselves, but there are lessons and metaphors to be gleaned from this human accomplishment, and if nothing else, an unrivaled piece of athletic entertainment that demands to be seen.
‘Free Solo’ is rated PG-13 for brief strong language. 100 minutes. Now playing at Arclight Theaters.
