Welcome to Reel It In, a biweekly film column where I’ll keep it real, literally, by discussing an often-underappreciated side of cinema: documentaries.
For that, there’s no better place to start than the Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” one of the most popular documentaries of the past decade.
The film, directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, follows rock climber Alex Honnold as he trains to climb El Capitan, a 3,000-foot rock formation in Yosemite National Park. But this isn’t just a normal climb; the movie gets its name from Honnold attempting the first-ever free solo climb of the summit. That means that Honnold can’t have any ropes, any protective gear or anything to save him if something goes wrong.
But the truth is, that’s not really what “Free Solo” is about. The training is just the backdrop to the movie, the narrative that gives it its structure and the shots that give it its thrills. In actuality, the film uses its documentary style to create a character study about a man who is so passionate about climbing that he’s crazy enough to risk his life for it, and the toll that it takes on him and the people that surround him.
The movie doesn’t just center itself around Honnold’s training, but around Honnold himself. We get to learn about who he is through the lens of the camera. He spends most of his time alone, either climbing or living in his van, and often seems uncomfortable with being on camera and talking about himself. Yet, Honnold talks about his family and his difficulties in balancing a love life and climbing. He believes that one day he will die while climbing, yet he does it anyway because he feels that it’s what he was meant to do.
The documentary style distinguishes itself by showing us the psyche of the real Alex Honnold. If “Free Solo” weren’t a documentary, there would be a barrier between the viewer and Honnold, separated by the director and actor’s interpretation of who he is. But the documentary has no barrier; it confronts the viewer with a man whose behavior seems completely foreign but tries to show why he is willing to put himself in a position where he’s 2,000 feet in the air with nothing but chalk and climbing shoes.
But “Free Solo” isn’t just about Honnold. It also focuses on other people in his life, and how his attempts to free solo El Capitan affects them.
Throughout the film, Sanni McCandless, Honnold’s girlfriend, serves as the emotional core. She struggles to balance her desire to let her partner do what he loves and her desire for him to not put himself in near-death scenarios. McCandless is one of the few non-climbers present in the film, and her presence brings a grounding perspective. She can’t stop Honnold from climbing El Capitan, so all she can do is hope that everything will turn out alright, as we carry that hope with her.
On top of being the people behind the camera, the documentary crew adds its own emotional layer by playing a role in the film itself. They crew members worry about the dangers of what Honnold is doing, and what they’re doing. What if they record Honnold’s death instead of his triumph, or if a cameraperson does something that causes Honnold to fall? Their worry rubs off on the viewer, as the stress of the dangers surmount as Honnold gets closer to free soloing El Capitan.
“Free Solo” builds a narrative around all the factors that Honnold has to consider, and the conflicts feel completely authentic because they are completely authentic. The documentary is as much about the climb as it is about the decision to climb or not to climb. But that decision isn’t made by any ordinary person; it’s made by a person who loves climbing more than anything else. And whether he’s in a relationship or there’s a camera crew recording what could be his death, he’s going to do what he loves.
Now, I can’t tell you whether or not that’s an admirable quality. But that’s not what “Free Solo” is about. It’s about real people, ordinary and extraordinary, who are filled with passion and love and worry and fear. The documentary strips away the artifice and makes you feel the real forces that drive these people. And, though you’ll get much more out of it than this, I can’t deny that it’ll bring you to the edge of your seat as you watch one of the most bizarre guys climb 3,000 feet higher than anyone should ever need to climb.