Free Solo Official Trailer This. Advertisement The movie does a superb job showing the mental and physical preparation and effort required. Chin shows a great wave of relief when Honnold pulls onto the summit. His silence in response was eloquent albeit still open to interpretation. Club members also get access to our members-only section on RogerEbert. Therefore, the film crew must provide some motivation to Honnold to go through with his free solo of El Capitan.
The crew certainly seems uncomfortable. By watching Free Solo, by clicking Alex Honnold YouTube videos, by reading news stories, by going to his book signings, we create the market for the free-soloing content that gives Honnold sponsors and opportunities in the first place. That sliver of potential danger is the essence of alpinism and climbing. Now, with a more-honest portrayal, it seems that it may be his weaknesses that both allow and drive him to put his life on the line: an inability to access emotions, struggles with self-esteem, and indifference toward his own continued existence. You will receive a weekly newsletter full of movie-related tidbits, articles, trailers, even the occasional streamable movie.
. I think I gravitate towards being a somewhat depressed person. Their presence lowers the barrier of entry to the climb. Our editorial and design team—and all of our contributors—are climbers just like you who love the sport and want to share all the great things it has to offer. The movie shows him navigating his first seemingly sustainable romantic relationship, with , an intrepid young woman who nevertheless worries about him; and Alex starts getting the feeling that her worries are throwing him off his game. But in terms of a social life, not too much.
How did he manage the feat? Kevin Corrigan is the digital editor at Climbing Magazine. In the film, his biggest concern about falling is that others may have to watch. The film shows that Honnold's continued pursuit of ropeless ascents puts significant stress on his loved ones, even when he succeeds. Archival footage and narration limns a childhood that was unusual but not overly so, with the signal event being a discovery of climbing. Your support is critical for keeping our website free and delivering the most current news, the most in-depth stories and the best photography in the climbing world. But Chin is quick to shirk responsibility when Honnold bails off an early attempt in autumn 2016, telling himself that it proves that the documentary is not encouraging Honnold.
This is not a review. After Honnold tops out, the ambiguity disappears and it becomes a wild celebration of an athletic achievement, complete with triumphant guitar riffs. Free Solo is a great movie—one of the best climbing films to date—and you should go see it. It is the thought of death that teaches us to value life. Will this movie encourage more people to climb ropeless? Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.
Alex Honnold climbs way, way, way above the Valley floor during his free solo ascent El Capitan's Freerider. The story follows the structure of a major Hollywood movie, and he is the hero of the film. Or somewhere in the middle. Neither of those men are alive today. One of Europe's most infamous climbs, this mighty limestone and ice wall has been free soloed by two legends who have both now passed away. Get More National Geographic: Official Site: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: Free Solo 360 National Geographic National Geographic. Not by the prospect of climbing a spectacularly high rock face without a rope? The free-solo legend began climbing rock walls over 25 years ago.
This immense 1,000-foot high ice climb rarely forms, but when it did on New Year's Day in 2016, Ukranian-born Californian climber Vitaliy Musiyenko scampered up it with just a pair of ice picks. Tommy Caldwell does not want Honnold to do it. Or it can be viewed as the story of a climber who went against all better judgement and got away with it. The filmmakers do a good job of questioning Honnold leading up to the ascent, which is why it's so jarring when they stop. But in some ways I embrace that as part of the process because you kind of have to feel like a worthless piece of poop in order to get motivated enough to go do something that makes you feel less useless. He did it without any fall protection and worked on the route until he knew he was perfectly in control. He's also climbed the Sears Tower, London's Shard, the Petronas Towers and the Burj Khalifa harnessed among others.
Perhaps this has been a problem in climbing media all along. And then the music plays. The film can be seen as an inspiring story of Honnold going against the odds and proving all the naysayers wrong to accomplish something incredible. Mikey Schaefer proclaims that he will never work on another project like this again, and is visibly upset throughout the climb, looking away from his camera in El Cap Meadow at key moments on the solo. A pretty tricked-out van, but a van nonetheless. Your subscription to our award-winning print magazine or donation will help us continue down a path that is uncompromised, and keep the website free for climbers like you.
And then the credits roll. If he did not see significant value in being filmed—fame, glory, a wide-release documentary, and the accompanying monetary incentives—he would not have agreed to it. So the question becomes, whose side are you on? Alex Honnold followed in tribute 20 years later, bettering the time by 10 seconds. So will the movie encourage more people to free solo? Well, as you might have guessed, Honnold is a very unusual guy. His sponsors may stick with him if he quit free soloing today, but none of us would know his name had he not exploded onto the scene with ropeless ascents of the Rostrum and Astroman in-a-day back in 2007 then Moonlight Buttress and Half Dome in 2008.