WatchSeeLookView - Documentaries 2

Still keeping on with the documentary vibe today. Given that the last entry had  a number one in the title, that’s probably not too much of a giveaway. Just the one today so a slightly longer review on this one.

Free Solo (2018)
Dir. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin / Dur. 96 mins

One the Venn diagram of blog posts, this overlaps with my reviews of Oscar season films given that this was the winner of the Best Documentary Feature at this year’s ceremony. This is without a doubt one of the most stress-inducing documentaries I have ever watched. No, scratch that, it’s one of the most stress-inducing films in general that I’ve ever seen. I genuinely had sweaty palms towards the end of the film and there were moments were, much like one of the crew members shown in the film, I found it hard to watch.

The film follows free climber (i.e. without any safety ropes) Alex Honnold as he attempts the first free solo climb of the 3,000 foot high El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Honnold has lead a relatively solitary life allowing for a laser-like focus on his climbing which has driven him to success. That focus is put in jeopardy by both the sheer act of filming the attempt and the fact that he has for the first time found love.

The meta element of the film makers commenting on the fact that just the act of them filming could be the thing that causes Alex to plunge to his death adds another layer of jeopardy to something that already looks freakishly dangerous (although as Alex himself explains, he only attempts free climbs when he feels prepared enough to know the terrain, often having tested out with ropes first). 

The complex relationship element is another interesting dynamic - Alex is by his own admission someone who struggles with emotional connections and Sanni, his partner, met him through him giving him a talk about his life but struggles with the life-or-death reality of it which, at times, doesn’t have room for her.

It’s a well-crafted tale with a ridiculously tense final segment as Alex makes his free solo attempt. I went in knowing nothing about Alex and whether he succeeded or not and I recommend doing the same (although if you are of a nervous disposition, the tension level could well push you over the edge*). A deserved Oscar win for this win - definitely a film worth catching.


* Hey, come on, I made it pretty much all the way to the end before breaking out a weak pun. I’m having that one and you can’t stop me.