Free Solo (2018)

Directed by: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | 100 minutes | documentary, sports | Starring: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe, Mikey Schaefer, Sanni McCandless, Dierdre Wolownick, Peter Croft

The American Alex Honnold (1985) is one of the most talented sportsmen in his field: mountaineering. And especially ‘free solo’, without safety cables, climbing hooks or climbing harness. In the documentary ‘Free Solo’ we get a portrait of this thirty-something, we see what drives him, how the people around him deal with the knowledge that every day can be his last and above all: whether he succeeds in being the first El Cap , to climb the 900-meter rock wall in Yosemite National Park free solo.

The documentary, which won an Oscar for best documentary, was made by fellow mountaineers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. The fact that they were friends with Alex before even a single scene was shot is a big plus. In fact, without that friendship, the film probably wouldn’t even have happened. If you consider that on an ascent without backup every mistake – no matter how minuscule – will be fatal, you can also imagine that with such a huge effort you can use no distraction. You don’t want a member of the camera crew accidentally dropping a pebble, which could send Alex hundreds of feet down to his death. It is therefore logical that this relationship of trust is a fundamental part of the success of this film. At the same time, this poses an ethical issue for the filmmakers: do they want to film this? What if their friend actually dies?

For those who think Alex is crazy without too much foreknowledge: that’s understandable. Less than one percent of people who do mountaineering do so free solo. And he’s the only one willing to make a serious effort to climb El Cap. But ‘Free Solo’ shows that he doesn’t just start this adventure. Months of preparations precede, dozens of test climbs, during which he studies the wall down to the millimeter. Can he put his foot down here, will he be able to make that dangerous jump? What is the best position of his thumb to overcome this stretch? Even the planning scenes are sometimes nail-bitingly exciting.

In addition to fellow mountaineers, such as Tommy Caldwell and Peter Croft, in ‘Free Solo’ we also get to know Alex’s girlfriend Sanni McCandless. They meet at a book signing, so Sanni indicates that she already knew what Alex’s passion was. The two grow towards each other during the documentary and of course Sanni is terrified when Alex actually starts the climb. She thus acts as the bridge between the viewer and Alex: we understand her concern and also how, despite her acknowledgment of the fact that Alex has no choice but to practice free solo, she does not understand that her presence in his life makes no difference to him. It hasn’t made him more cautious.

Still, Alex seems like the opposite of an adrenaline junkie. He doesn’t climb because it’s dangerous and he can die, he climbs because he has no other choice, because his love for it is so deeply rooted in him. An interesting scene shows that the amygdala in his brain, where the average person feels fear, shows no activity, so it takes quite a bit of effort to scare Alex. Alex is not portrayed as sympathetic. To explain his nonchalant attitude, a brief glance is taken at his childhood. His father (died a year after his parents divorced) had Asperger’s and his mother (pictured briefly) has never told him she loves him. He didn’t learn to cuddle until he was 23.

Back to sports. The climb itself is beautifully depicted. Unparalleled to see how the camera crew capture him in the picture, without getting in his way. It’s a good thing these scenes don’t take up the bulk of the film, as countless viewers would need to be on a ventilator if it lasted longer. ‘Free Solo’ is a nice mix of nature and sports documentary about an incredible achievement and a character who might fall into the category love or hate him.