Free Solo (2018)

Free Solo (2018) is a tense, visually stunning documentary that follows elite climber Alex Honnold as he prepares for — and attempts — the audacious, rope-free ascent of El Capitan’s 3,000-foot granite face in Yosemite. Directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi combine years of access with cinematic climbing footage to create both a technical portrait of a rare athletic feat and an intimate study of the man behind it: his training, meticulous preparations, psychological makeup, and the personal relationships that are tested by the risk he accepts. Watching Free Solo is a visceral experience. You’ll feel vertigo from the camera’s close, vertiginous angles, live with the mounting tension through rehearsals and setbacks, and be drawn into quiet, candid moments — conversations with friends, climbing partners, and his partner — that reveal Honnold’s singular focus and humanity. The film balances the how‑to of elite climbing (footwork, route memorization, physical conditioning) with larger questions about obsession, responsibility, and the limits of human capability. Cinematic, suspenseful and often breathtakingly beautiful, Free Solo delivers both adrenaline and reflection. It won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and leaves viewers awed by the technical achievement while grappling with the emotional and ethical stakes of pursuing such extreme risk.

Actors: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin

Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Runtime: 100 min

Genres: Adventure, Documentary, Sport

7.4 /10 83 /100 8.1 /10 7.9 /10