Free Solo: Seeking Justification
Directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi sought to make a documentary about a climber at the foremost of their sport. In Free Solo they accomplished this and much more as they filmed the most ambitious free solo attempt any climber has ever made. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31st, 2018 and has since won a variety of awards, the most notable one being Best Documentary Feature during the 2018 Academy Awards (IMDB). The film crew was made up of a group of professional climbers who doubled as climbing experts and commentators during the documentary, adding their thoughts and emotions through the two years of filming required to make this suspenseful film.
Alex Honnold, the subject of their documentary shared his dream of free soloing El Capitan, a 3,200ft granite rock face. A dream he had been thinking about for almost a decade before Jimmy Chin thought to make a documentary about him (Chin and Vasarhelyi). With reluctant support from his girlfriend Sanni and his fellow climbers he undertakes the tedious process of working out the puzzle that is El Capitan. Not only did he need to ensure he was physically strong enough for the journey he needed to practice and perfect his route. He memorized complex patterns of foot holds and hand holds effectively choreographing his own path up El Capitan.
With the knowledge of how dangerous a climb like this would be for Alex, the film directors and other professional climbers involved spent large amounts of time agonizing over whether filming the climb was ethical. Vasarhelyi posed the question,
“Is he more likely to fall when we [are] there because we can be a distraction than if he is by himself?” (Wollaston).
Would their presence effect the way Alex approached the climb? Would they be the reason Alex slipped and fell to his death during the attempt? Every crew member asked this question of themselves and sought to justify their reasons for being a part of something that they knew could kill their friend. Tommy a fellow climber who was well acquainted with El Capitan gave his support and experience because he knew any information or help he could give Alex would make the climb safer for him (Chin and Vasarhelyi). Jimmy Chan the director knew that Alex would make the climb whether they were filming or not and used this reasoning to justify his involvement in the film (The New York Times). Justifying the film crew’s decision to work on the film and also justifying Alex’s reasons for wanting to undertake such a feat became a central part of the story being told.
Throughout the film while Alex practiced and methodically reviewed and adjusted his route, the documentary, sought to justify Alex’s motivation behind the climb. Was he a thrill seeker? Did his childhood cause mental trauma that effected the way his mind worked? Is he just arrogant and overly sure of his ability? There was even a point in the film where Alex humored medical curiosity and had an MRI to see if he had a brain abnormality that caused his urge to take such risks (Chin and Vasarhelyi). What the film finally concluded was something I feel is more indicative of any human spirit. Jimmy Chin says it perfectly when he was interviewed by Sam Wollaston of The Guardian. He said, “The drive and ambition to do something that pushes you, that you love – it’s hard to put that away and not use it.” and I could not agree more.
Alex’s drive for climbing perfection is not because of a flawed childhood or a medical anomaly it is because he is a human being who wants to continue striving forward. Near the end of the film Alex says
“This is your path and you will pursue it with excellence. You face your fear because your goal demands it.” (Chin and Vasarhelyi).
Choosing to push the envelope always comes with risk and even rock climbing with the proper equipment can be deadly without the right experience. I ask any person watching this film, was Alex able to justify his sport and would your answer change if he falls?