In 1923, when George Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest (a desire that would ultimately lead to his death), he famously replied with a simple ‘because it’s there’.
That’s perhaps the closest we’ll ever to get to understanding why somebody like this would dream of doing something quite so dangerous, and the same can be said of Alex Honnold, the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo.
The latest feature from married couple Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, themselves both filmmakers and rock climbers, follows Honnold as he attempts to achieve the impossible: climbing El Capitan, a 3,000 foot cliff in Yosemite Valley considered to be one of the toughest climbs on the planet, using only his hands and feet, with no ropes or safety harnesses.
The magnitude of such a feat is something that can hardly be put into words, but instead must be seen to be believed, and Free Solo is a film that simply demands to be seen.
Perhaps the only notable flaw with this film is the fact that Honnold is far from being the most relatable person on Earth. It feels harsh to bring this up as a criticism, since it really is the fault of no-one involved. In order to live such a life, one must be a little selfish. This isn’t something you could take away from Honnold. His passion and determination is nothing short of admirable, and he’s certainly a fascinating person. The downside of this is that it becomes virtually impossible to engage with him on a personal level. He’s interesting, watchable, and impressive, but he’s certainly not empathetic.
This hardly impacts the film at all, since the directors aren’t all that interested in answering the impossible question of why Honnold is doing this. The most interesting themes discussed in the film are actually that of what it must be like to be close to someone like this. Seeing his friends and family suffer as they watch him work towards his dream is something that every viewer will be able to feel.
Perhaps the most interesting person to watch in Free Solo is Honnold’s girlfriend, Sanni McCandless, who serves as the entry-point for the audience. She is the voice of reason in a world of uncertainty and danger. Despite Honnold’s emotionless exterior, McCandless is able to bond with him in a way that nobody else has.
She tries all she can to convince her boyfriend to live a normal, safe life, but deep down she knows that it’s a fool’s errand. Honnold has no interest in stopping. Watching her suffer as he carries out his final climb is the most gut-wrenchingly human moment in the film.
The filmmakers don’t need to consistently remind their audience just how risky this climb really is, as many other climbers in Honnold’s life do that for them. Tommy Caldwell, who himself completed a dangerous El Capitan climb that was the subject of its own documentary, The Dawn Wall, says numerous times that this is a frankly insane goal to have, and one that freaks out even the most daring of climbers.
Of course, the film’s third act, in which we see Honnold achieve the incredible, is the film’s biggest selling point, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s frankly breath-taking cinema that lingers in your mind long after it draws to a close. If this had been in a Mission: Impossible film, it would be celebrated as one of the greatest action scenes in all of cinema, and yet this is actually happening before our very eyes. It was a jaw-dropping IMAX experience, but thankfully the sequence is so suspenseful and terrifying that it shouldn’t lose any impact on home viewing.
It’s an extremely intense moment, helped by the fact that we’ve seen him unsuccessfully test the route several times before. Honnold climbs El Capitan with ropes several times, simply to figure out said route, and there is one moment in particular which he’s not able to complete successfully at any point before free soloing. As he reaches this mark, there was audible wincing in the audience.
Vasarhelyi and Chin capture the climb beautifully, getting across just how high Honnold really is and just how far he could fall. We’re also treated to intimate moments with the crew as they reluctantly watch Honnold risk his life for fun. Mikey Schaefer, one of the main cameramen, is physically unable to look, spending the majority of his time with his back to the camera.
It’s this level of fear that makes this moment what it is. We’re reminded that if Honnold makes one single mistake, he will fall to a certain death. Everyone filming is fully aware that he could fall at any second, and what was once intended as a documentary film could instead capture his final moments. More than one free soloist in the world dies during the making of Free Solo, and it’s important to remember that Honnold was constantly at risk of being one of them. This level of tension is something that simply cannot be replicated in fiction, and that’s precisely what makes it so absorbing.
It also feels like a tremendous privilege to view what must be one of mankind’s greatest ever achievements.
Free Solo is rewarding on a great many levels. It’s a film that you don’t simply watch. Rather, it’s one that you experience. Alex Honnold may not be the most empathetic subject you’ll see in the genre, but it’s impossible not to find him fascinating or be fully engaged in what it is he’s doing. It’s also fair to say that the far more human reactions we gleam from his friends, crew and his girlfriend, provide more than enough connection for the viewer.
Above all else, as terrifying as it all is, it’s really quite exhilarating watching Honnold risk his life like this. It’s always interesting to see someone that is so passionate about something, however insane it may seem to us. Free Solo is far scarier than horror films, and more suspenseful than most thrillers. It’s an unforgettable picture that was fully deserving of an Academy Award, and an experience that you’ll want to revisit.
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