Never have I experienced such nerve-racking thoughts when watching a movie. My palms were sweating and my heart rate soared as I watched Alex Honnold scale the side of El Capitan, a 3000-foot-tall mountain of sheer granite.
Free Solo follows Honnold on his attempt to climb one of Yosemite National Park’s tallest peaks with his bare hands.
Unlike traditional rock climbers, Honnold doesn’t’t use any ropes or equipment. This immersive film takes viewers through a serene and thrill-seeking experience with widely induced euphoric nature shots which will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin captured Honnold’s obsessively meticulous drive to conquer this death-defying experience.
Honnold’s commitment and focus to practicing day after day truly speaks to the real meaning of rock climbing. The physical and mental strength it takes to free scale a mountain is extremely difficult and takes months or even years of preparation.
Honnold started climbing at a young age and undertook his first ropeless climb in Utah in 2008. Now at the age of 33, Honnold finds himself charting out the ultimate challenge. Along with his climbing buddy, Tommy Caldwell, Honnold embarks on the journey of a lifetime.
Produced by National Geographic, Free Solo offers an extremist the opportunity to escape and witness an unbelievable exploration alongside the rocky cliffs of California.
The film’s intimate perspective allows the viewer to feel for Honnold at his most vulnerable state. The gradual creeping shots peering over the mountain are sure to keep you on your toes at all times.
Even when Honnold is not climbing, he is still unsettled and antsy. He remains constantly on the move with his girlfriend, Sanni McCandless. Honnold’s relationship experiences are quite unique with his extreme lifestyle. He lives out of a van and is constantly traveling to new exotic locations to climb.
Be prepared to have a head-spinning experience with this spectacular breathtaking film. Free Solo extends the limits of human capabilities to thrive off of nature’s gifts.
Put your own adrenaline to the test and witness a man conquering one of life’s wildest possibilities.