Free Solo

"Free Solo" is a spectacular achievement in storytelling, cinematography, and filmmaking. It expertly captures the pinnacle of Alex Honnold's accomplishments: his free-solo ascent of El Capitan. The film is absolutely worthy of a big-screen viewing!

I most enjoyed the way the creators captured the emotions of everyone involved in the climb. The main focus was naturally on Alex, but the movie also thoughtfully presented his girlfriend Sanni, his climbing partners, and the filmmakers themselves.

My main criticism: Certain words were censored via dubbing, and that yanked me out of those scenes. This was an emotional event - let the language flow freely!

goosebumps, simply goosebumps.
this documentary left me on the edge of my seat, quite literally

One of my favorite documentary film

Almost doesn’t count. Good enough isn’t.

Almost doesn’t count. Good enough isn’t.

An extraordinary feat! An extraordinary journey. A unique man with a unique vision for his life. The filmmakers were courageous and caring, leaving us with beautiful images and an glimpses into an undefined life. But I couldn't conclude my reflections on this documentary without applauding Sanni who leaned in to love and support this driven man. Well deserving of its Oscar. I give this documentary a 10 (incredible) out of 10. [Documentary Thriller]

Besides the obvious draw of the film (oh my freaking god I can’t believe he climbed the rock without ropes) there really was a lot of meat on the proverbial bone in this film. I spent much of the film assuming that he was simply an adrenaline junkie only to realize later on that this was not true. The director did a fantastic job slow-playing this story line as it isn’t towards the end that you get a better feel for what makes him tick.

The second most interesting theme in the film is the relationship between the climber and his girlfriend. What does he owe her? What is right for her to expect from him? Once again this director avoided did a great job to not portray her as a sobbing puppy and instead focused on the nature of their relationship. Some of his statements about the relationship will really grab you.

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Trigger warning for people with a fear of heights. "Free Solo" is really exceptionally good at showing just how dizzying the heights are that are climbed here without a rope. The documentary about extreme climber Alex Honnold's attempt to conquer El Capitan without any aid also benefits from the fact that the main character is interesting. You probably have to be a bit strange to voluntarily put yourself in such dangerous situations. However, the movie also shows the dangers of the whole action clearly, so that imitators are not recklessly encouraged.

Structurally, there is not much to complain about, except perhaps that there are a few unnecessary lengths in the middle section. But when the decisive climbing section kicks off, no viewer's pulse will remain steady. The film cleverly switches to the reactions of the camera team from time to time to emphasize the danger of the action. Overall, "Free Solo" is a visually appealing documentary that also impresses with an engaging narrative.

Watching this a second time it's almost as nail-bitingly tense as the first time around. Great stuff.

I still have a hard time believing what Alex did. The more attention you pay to the little movements he makes, the more you realize how difficult it is. I sweat for 100 minutes and I wasn’t even moving.