Friday June 10th, 2022, 7:30
On June 3, 2017, Alex Honnold “free soloed” (climbing without ropes or other supports) the Freerider route of the El Capitan rockface in Yosemite National Park in California in three hours and 56 minutes. Free Solo, the Oscar winning documentary depicting this event, is both an edge-of-your seat thriller and an inspiring portrait of an athlete who exceeded our current understanding of human physical and mental potential. It wasn’t an act of recklessness but of the kind of planning worthy of a moon landing. It wasn’t a useless stunt but a reminder that utility alone is a poor way to measure the grandeur of one man’s spirit. The NYT’s reviewer said: “I couldn’t get it out of my head. I still can’t. The film is a drug. It causes your pupils to dilate, your palms to sweat, and your mind to boggle. Even as you know that Honnold is going to make it to the top, you can’t believe what you’re seeing — a young man, millimeters from extinction, transforming the unthinkable into the sublime. “Free Solo” is 97 minutes long and if you could hold your breath the whole time you probably would.”
Documentary / Adventure
Runtime 1 Hr 40 Min
USA
PG-13