Free Solo: The best movie of 2018 is a documentary

It’s been a long time since I have asked you to read a review about an indie film or a documentary or anything that wasn’t a loud, super hero fueled blockbuster made for scarfing big buckets of popcorn. That changes this week, because I just saw the best movie of the year (at least so far) and it happens to be a documentary.

Instead, what we get is filmmakers following free climber Alex Honnold. A free climber is someone that climbs mountains with absolutely no safety equipment, and Alex free climbs higher, more dangerous peaks than anyone else. The first shot of the movie, which shows Alex from above in mid-climb, is truly terrifying.

That is one thing this movie does so well. There is no slow introduction to what Alex does. Free Solo opens with him in mid-climb. What he does and why he does it is explained along the way. Like Alex, you are forced to immediately decide if you want to go along on this ride.

“Is this guy insane?” and “Isn’t he afraid he is going to die?” are two questions any reasonable person reading this might be asking. The answers to those questions are 1. No and 2. Oddly also no. It’s not that Alex doesn’t think he will die doing this. Quite the opposite actually. He just assumes it is going to happen someday, but that is not going to stop him from accomplishing these feats that no one else on Earth ever has.

At one point in the movie, he addresses feeling fear. It’s not something he is immune to, but Alex says “When you start to panic, you have to stop and reel it all back in.” It is the first sign that psychologically and emotionally, we are dealing with a really different kind of cat.

That is kind of what I liked most about Free Solo. Sure, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous and demands to be seen on a big screen, but the character study is absolutely fascinating. Alex Honnold may be on the autism spectrum. He might also be a sociopath. His reactions to his girlfriend’s fear over what might happen to him and her grief over what happens to a friend of theirs are incredibly sad, but also perfectly understandable once you learn more about his childhood.

The focus of the movie is Alex’s quest to free solo El Capitan, a nearly 8,000 foot wall of sheer granite in Yosemite National Park. He brings his team of climb videographers with him. He is also approached by climb journalists and climb medics to be a part of the ascent. Basically, if you learn anything from Free Solo, it’s that you can put the word “climb” in front of any job title, and it becomes a much more lucrative and specialized job.

Alex’s focus and attention to detail will blow your mind. The way he practices. The information he retains. It is like you are watching an actual superhero at work.

Visually and emotionally, Free Solo strikes all the right notes. It’s a documentary, so it won’t be in theaters long and it will be on TV quickly. If that is how you want to experience it, that is fine, but it is a movie that will absolutely be enhanced by a large screen, so go to Alamo and see it while you have the chance!