Thrilling, but nerve-wracking, see Alex Honnold, climb 3,200 feet straight up, using his bare hands, and no ropes. The cinematography of this spec of a man against the massive El Capitan in Yosemite National Park captures the filmmakers’ fear and Hannold’s skill and determination to be the first free solo climber to reach the top of this vertical rock, and without any safety equipment!
Award-winning director and photographer, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and her husband, Director, Cinematographer, mountaineer Jimmy Chin (MERU), capture Hannold’s moves from the ground, using drones, and climbing along with him. Capturing every inch of his ascent was planned out so well from so many angles. You get to experience all of the dangers inching up the granite wall without ropes seeing Hannold deftly push upward using strategy while finding teeny nooks and crannies for his fingers to barely hang on as he continues his quest. It’s dramatic and even more so on an IMAX screen. Gravity is his enemy and the filmmakers use the song “Gravity” by Tim McGraw and Lori McKenna from the movie on the soundtrack.
Honnold labors over every inch of the climb and the tension mounts exponentially as he tries to figure out how to traverse a virtually impossible lateral move across the rock. Seeing closeups of him powdering his fingers so he can grab a tiny crease in the stone as he ascends is mind-boggling. Swinging across rock formations to zig zag up the smooth vertical stone will have you biting your nails. Even the filmmakers watching his every move show their own fear and trepidation. One crew member turns away from the monitor as it’s beaming back images of the climb. He does not want to see Hannold die.
But this isn’t only a film about the attempts and the ultimate final climb. This is a revealing biography of what makes this free soloist climber tick. It’s about the prep it takes to even consider such a feat. Why does he do it? Not just because it’s there. We learn what motivates him from his childhood including the sketchy relationships with his mother and father.
It is a slow build to the final ascent. There are a series of interviews with Honnold and his inner circle including is girlfriend, Sanni McCandless and Alex’ best friend and fellow climber Tommy Caldwell. The meticulous planning included a trip to Morocco and long hours pouring over maps of the giant, vertical rock, “El Cap.”
During the prep, Hannold takes a brain scan. They called it an MRI in the film which was interpreted by doctors as a decreased response to fearful stimuli. In other words, not much scares Hannold which is more than evident for his taking on this monumental challenge. He knows others have tried and died, but that doesn’t stop him.
We also get to see how his adorable and patient girlfriend, Sanni McCandless, is the woman who understands him, with his shortcomings, hangups, unbending determination and inability to show emotion. She accepts him and what he is doing unconditionally, helping during prep, but takes off when he starts the climb, worrying from afar. She doesn’t want to be a distraction.
Seeing this film is one way to be a thrill seeker without actually climbing yourself. It becomes a tense thriller. Will he make it? Will he survive without getting hurt? If you don’t know the story, we’re not going to give it away. And if you’re afraid of heights, see it, knowing you can only fall out of your seat.
Greenwich Entertainment 97 Minutes. PG-13
