Free Solo

Alex Honnold's free solo of El Cap remains one of the most impressive things I can imagine

I'd watched Free Solo once before, maybe 2 years back. I really enjoyed it then - it was gripping, masterfully shot, with such a clear narrative, and captured an amazing feat. I rewatched it again recently to write an essay for a film class I took and left with a newfound appreciation of the film.

I started writing a post, an adapted work from the essay - shorter and less formal. But honestly I don't have words to do justice to this work. So these are 2 clips that hopefully convinces anyone to watch the full documentary.

"As a filmmaker, you're always looking for a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. This one had a potential end that we couldn't control."
— Elizabeth Chai Vasarhely, co-director of Free Solo

What if he falls - A look into the filming

Alex's TED talk

Here's a link to my actual essay if you'd like to read it.