Free Solo (2018)
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The film follows rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts the first-ever free solo climb of a route on El Capitan.
The story
Climber Alex Honnold has been dreaming of free-soloing the rock wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat no one has performed. His choice of big wall climbing route on El Capitan is called Freerider, a route that was created by Alexander Huber in 1998, and which Honnold has completed several times with protection equipment. The film documents his preparation, including training in Morocco and undergoing an MRI to understand his brain's response to fear. The production crew faces the ethical dilemma of filming a climb where Honnold might die on camera, while Honnold prepares for the ultimate physical and mental challenge of climbing the massive wall without any ropes or safety equipment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Alex Honnold seeks to become the first person to free solo the Freerider route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The film follows his extensive preparation, including a partnership with Tommy Caldwell in Morocco and an MRI scan to analyze his fear response. Honnold navigates personal relationships with his girlfriend, Sanni McCandless, while dealing with the physical toll of training. After a failed attempt in the fall of 2016 due to an ankle injury, he prepares for a final attempt in June 2017. The film captures the tension of the climb, where the crew and McCandless worry about his safety. Ultimately, Honnold successfully completes the free solo in 3 hours and 56 minutes. The film concludes with him reflecting on his future and the nature of free solo climbing.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi; Jimmy Chin
- Cast and characters
- Alex Honnold · Alex Honnold; Sanni McCandless · Sanni McCandless; Jimmy Chin · Jimmy Chin; Tommy Caldwell · Tommy Caldwell
- Genres
- documentary
- Themes
- fear; risk-taking; determination
- Tone and mood
- tense; intense
- Premise and plot tags
- sports; climbing; adventure
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and won several awards, including a Peabody Award and an Academy Award.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 97% · scale: percentage · review count: 159; Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 25
- Awards and nominations
- People's Choice Award · Documentaries · win; Academy Award · Best Documentary Feature · win
- Production trivia
- The production team captured 700 hours of footage using 12 cameras.; The film's score was composed by Marco Beltrami.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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