Free Solo (2018)
About This Movie
Professional rock climber Alex Honnold attempts to climb El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock face in Yosemite National Park, without any ropes, harnesses, or safety equipment of any kind. The filmmakers, who are also professional climbers and Honnold's close friends, must wrestle with the ethical implications of documenting a feat that could kill their subject at any moment. The climbing footage is so vertiginous that it provokes a genuine physical response in viewers, including those who have never been afraid of heights.
Why It's a Classic
Directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi created one of the most viscerally intense documentaries ever made, a film that generates more sustained tension than most fiction thrillers despite the audience knowing Honnold survived. The film goes beyond spectacle by examining why someone would risk certain death for a climb, exploring Honnold's psychology, his unusual brain chemistry (a brain scan revealed diminished amygdala response to fear), and the strain his pursuit places on his relationships. The ethical questions the film raises about documentarians' responsibility when their subject is risking death are as compelling as the climb itself. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and introduced free soloing to a mainstream audience that had never heard of the sport.
Fun Fact
The camera crew, all professional climbers themselves, had to be positioned on the wall before Honnold arrived, hanging from ropes at various points along the route. Several cameramen have said they had to look away during the most dangerous sections because they could not bear to watch their friend potentially fall. Honnold completed the climb in 3 hours and 56 minutes.
Parent Note
The film involves the constant, real possibility of death, and the tension can be genuinely overwhelming for viewers with fear of heights. There is no graphic content, strong language, or violence. The psychological exploration of Honnold includes discussion of emotional detachment and his relationship with risk. Suitable for all teens, though those with severe acrophobia may find the climbing footage physically uncomfortable.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 2018
- Type
- 🎬 Movie
- Category
- Documentary
- Age Group
- Teens (Ages 14–17)