Alex Honnold climbed El Capitan on June 3, 2017, in 3 hours and 56 minutes (2,900-foot Freerider route). He climbed it by himself (solo) and without ropes, without a safety net @ the bottom, and without a parachute (free). No other climber has ever done it, but only him. And he didn't fall (die).
?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Honnold
I've watched many rock climbing documentaries, mountain climbing documentaries, ...Everest, K2, etc., all the best ones.
Free Solo is nominated for Best Documentary @ the Oscars next week; it's a winner, it will win the Oscar, I cannot fathom a different outcome.
In the documentary the film crew, Alex, his girlfriend, his friends, they all prepare to the reality, his death. The film crew they discuss it, and even if it's not a happy subject they prepare for the worst case scenario, how to deal with it emotionally and legally. One tiny slip of a finger and that's it. This is very precise climb, by the millimeter (tip of the finger and toe). It's like a super precise ballet. The ones who know the most that he can die are the professional rock climbers.
One of them filming @ the base with a super zoom video camera is too scared @ times to look @ the camera's screen during few very dangerous passages. It is scary, perfect spots to fall, and normally I don't feel the danger but this time I was grinding my teeth, my fingers and my toes.
My body was tense, which is extremely rare from watching any film or any documentary.
The more intense experiences I had in life were real; working on steep terrains and under harsh natural conditions...heavy rain, snow, freezing cold and fierce winds. Those days were part of my job, some near death situations. But watching docs is not real as in real life, it's on a screen so I don't feel the same. But it is real life, it was filmed in real location with real cameras, real actors, real stuntman, cameraman, real climbers, real life people who do that for a living passion. The cameramen, the documentary crew, Alex, his friends, ...they are real life, there is no escaping the facts, they don't have to force anyone, it's all right there in front of our very eyes with everything else attached to it.
With 'Free Solo', with the quality cinematography, the amazing shots, there were few moments...minutes I was tense a little, very exceptional...I don't usually tight my hands and sweat from them...here I was.
Anyway, if climbing is your thing (passion, hobby, job), Free Solo is unparallel, a unique experience, a journey, the last fifteen minutes are the apothosis with incredible camera shots following his climb, extreme closeups, gorgeous backgrounds, perspective to die for... The film crew did a fabulous job.
I should go to my local museum where it's playing on IMAX, the largest one. ...I just might. The screen is so big that they need more brightness, more light from the projector(s), and make the place totally pitch black dark. Just a small realistic observation, but the sheer size would help big in few of the immersive shots of the rock face with the background. ...Beautiful valley.
They use top quality cameras because some of the shots are razor blade sharp and well focused.
Last word: It's going to take some time for me to unstuck from that rock.
Overall:
99