By Renuka Vasu
Lightning strikes twice for husband-and-wife filmmaker duo, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. Three years after “Meru,” their incredible mountaineering documentary that followed three professional climbers up Mount Meru, they are back with “Free Solo,” a film shadowing Alex Honnold as he creates history as the first person to ever free climb El Capitan, Yosemite’s 3,000-foot granite rock face.
For the courageous few that attempt free climbing, or climbing precarious cliffs without any safety equipment, the eminent fear of death can be burdening. But Honnold seems comfortable with the idea. “I feel like anyone could die on any given day. Soloing makes it more present, more obvious,” he said. The film throws us straight into Honnold’s training routine as he scales up El Capitan, mapping the rock’s every line and dimple, memorizing hand and foot movements over bends and cracks in the wall. Honnold’s friends and filming crew, elite climbers themselves, are in a precarious position—should they support their friend’s insane endeavor and be there to capture the unpredictable outcome? Or will their very presence be a variable that throws Honnold off balance, costing him his life?
Free soloing is the pursuit of perfection, the game you have to win every time you play—or you die. It’s that simple. While Honnold knows he is sort of a ninja at climbing, “Free Solo” also delves into the odd mind of the world’s greatest climber. Intimidated by vegetables and afraid to say “I love you” to his first steady girlfriend, Honnold’s fears are very much the ones he faces while still firmly on the ground. A scan of his brain reveals lower activity in his amygdala, the center for processing emotions. This could be why he’s able to overcome crippling fear in his climbs and also why he struggles with displaying affection and adoration to his loved ones.
While it’s a film about a death-defying human feat, it’s also an endearing portrait of a man who was uncomfortable with forging deep connections. Ultimately he accomplishes the greatest test of his life with his best friends and girlfriend by his side. With plenty of white-knuckle moments, slips and false starts, and even an unexpected unicorn, “Free Solo” is the inspiring story of one man who dared to dream and then go after it with his bare hands.
