Free Solo

Dir: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

2018

***

There have been a few really good films about climbing but Free Solo is a little different. Not only do we learn about a climber and a climbers mentality but we also look at the film crew who is filming. The one thing that sets Free Solo apart is the fact that, as the title suggests, it features Free Solo climbing. That is, the climber climbs free without and harnesses. There have been many free solo climbers over the years, each one of them gaining absolute respect from other climbers. Many of these climbers are mentioned in the film, along with the fact that they are all dead after falling. Free solo climbing is stupid, although the film will always suggest it is a dangerous pursuit of enlightenment. Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin do attempt to look into the mindset of free solo climbers however, and follow Alex Honnold on his quest to perform a free solo climb of El Capitan in June 2017. The film begins by explaining what free solo climbing is, who has done it in the past and waxes lyrical about the freedom it gives. The film then focuses on Alex, somewhat of a loner who has lived in a van for over a decade and eats an unvairied diet. Alex’s life is very simple, climbing is everything. I found the investigation into what makes him tick to be a little lack-luster to be honest, a brain-scan concludes that he has an amygdala that supposedly does not respond to fear inducing visions – even though he talks of being scared all the time – and it is hinted that he may have a form of Asperger syndrome. No in-depth examinations are done, it probably would have killed the film and made it about something other than what was intended, but the medical bit is so lightly touched upon, I’m not sure they should have bothered at all. From what I could tell, Alex had simplified his life so much that climbing could be his main focus, and when you dedicate your life to just one thing then you can master it. If Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin can simplify it, then so can I, basically be good at climbing and don’t look down. Still, many people have read a lot into this film and I’m still a bit cynical I’m afraid. I have nothing but admiration for explorers, those that push the boundaries and achieve the things that people thought could never be done. These are the people that elevate the human race. Pure focus, concentration and determination are all powerful things, as long as they’re attached to something worthwhile. I can see why Alex is an inspiration to others and I personally have nothing but awe for the guy but I find it hard to have so much respect and admiration for what is essentially a task in self-interest. I have more respect and admiration for doctors, medics, ambulance drivers and nurse – people I hope Alex will not need any time soon. If you want to go climb a mountain then you go climb a mountain, it’s an amazing achievement, I have nothing but respect for those that do, however, to do so without any safety precautions is stupid. I have no respect for free solo climbers. I think what they are doing is incredible but I can’t respect it. I can happily watch a film about them though, as long as why they do what they do is explored but Free Solo doesn’t do this. What should have been a film that explored why people were driven to climb free solo, soon turned into a sensationalist, and rather melodramatic film that waited to see whether Alex would succeed in climbing El Capitan or fall to his death. The directors and camera people convince themselves that what they are doing is ethical and film him through gut-wrenching fear. Most of the time the camera person on the ground can’t watch, and he looks as if he’s about to vomit throughout the climb. This adds suspense to the film but should also be an alarm as to whether or not this is actually good entertainment. I personally think it is dark entertainment and not the sort of thing that should be celebrated or encouraged. The film didn’t convince me it was made for the right reasons and it didn’t explain to me why so many people climb without safety equipment. The film makers have tried to convince that this film is more than watching a game of Russian Roulette but it isn’t. Sure the views are spectacular and some of the technical insights into climbing are interesting, but at the end of the day it is a live or die film full of selfishness and pointlessness. The film and the climb are personal to Alex and people are free to interpret but I totally disagree that this is ‘living’. It isn’t, this is risking everything that life is. Alex is clear that he isn’t doing it for the film, he’s doing it for himself and I can’t argue with that, but the film makers shock me in their inability to see what they’re doing is unethical and in bad taste. When documenting something you automatically change the subject you’re documenting by being there. This could have affected Alex’s climb when he needed total focus on what he was doing. It’s all kinds of reckless, I’m sure I sound like a miserable old party-pooper but the dedications at the end of the film to the climbers that had fallen and died while free solo climbing rang hollow. The film makers know they had a successful film on their hands whether Alex lived or died and that’s wrong in my book. Aside from the questionable ethics, the documentary doesn’t really answer any of the questions it raises but it does look stunning and leaves enough for the audience to think over. I give it a reluctant 3 out of 5.