
Free Solo. 2018. USA. Directed by Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. 97 min.
How high would you climb to fulfill your destiny? If you are celebrated professional rock-climber Alex Honnold, the answer would be “the tallest rock-face on earth” (Yosemite’s El Capitan). That challenge in and of itself is a remarkable feat of human determination. What sets Alex apart is his obsession to do it without safety ropes. Experienced mountain-doc filmmakers Elisabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Meru) take on the dual challenge of capturing the record-breaking free climb, and capturing the peripatetic life of their subject (who lives in his van). The result is a powerful work of cinema that is both heart-stopping and heart-melting. Courtesy of National Geographic Films