Free Solo 2018
I remember hearing about Alex Honnold becoming the first person to climb Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan without ropes or other assistance. It was on the national news, but a short piece saying it is incredibly dangerous and very difficult. I accepted that, but there is a lot more to it. This documentary gives you more background information which is crucial in really understanding (to some extent) just how difficult a feat this is. The villain in this movie is death from falling and that villain plays a prominent role, not one most people involved want to talk about that much, but they all know there is this distinct possibility. I like that they talk to the film crew because they carry a real burden in not wanting to encourage Alex to take unnecessary risks, not to meet a filming schedule, not to worry about their budget, and horrified that this person they have been working with for years could be taken away from them at any second. I read on Wikipedia later that Clif Bar sponsored Alex for a while and finally backed out because I think they couldn’t deal with the risks involved, not wanting their star to die horribly, and not wanting to encourage others to do what he does (and die).
So most of the movie follows him for a few years as he prepares for the climb in other countries and other locations in Yosemite as well as Zion National Park in Utah. They talk to other climbers, the camera crew (also climbers necessarily), and there is also a girl, who he started dating maybe just before the film crew shows up. Her life is complicated by a boyfriend whose job is to leave her in the morning and possibly never come back and who simply will not commit to her to stop climbing so they can always be together. Everything about his life is framed by his obsession with free solo climbing and being one slip or miscalculation from death. What I did not realize was that he does most of his climbing with ropes and via repeated climbs and a detailed log book, plus research from other climbers, he is able to plot every move of the 3,000+ foot climb that he must complete in a day since he can’t stop off anywhere. And he often misses a move and falls, but is caught by his rope.
The movie is very good of showing the accomplishment without being sensational. One of the climbers says that for the general population they can see that this is hard and risky, but other climbers are the ones that can really appreciate the true magnitude of it. So the movie’s job is to help you understand and appreciate it. It doesn’t focus much on the technical aspects, but they are there. A feature length movie is key to give you more depth than a news segment can provide. I almost feel like a miniseries would be even better (maybe with a finale in IMAX since the outdoor stuff deserves as big a screen as possilbe), but I was glad to get to see what I did and it is completely involving with a great deal of tension even though I knew he would make it, but empathizing with the people in the film who don’t know that.
Written: 20 Oct 2018
Owned on: Digital