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Free Solo

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For the style of climbing depicted in the film, see Free solo.
Free Solo
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Produced by
  • Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
  • Jimmy Chin
  • Evan Hayes
  • Shannon Dill
Starring
Cinematography
  • Jimmy Chin
  • Clair Popkin
  • Mikey Schaefer
Edited byBob Eisenhardt
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 31, 2018 (2018-08-31) (Telluride)
  • September 28, 2018 (2018-09-28) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million[2]
Box office$29.4 million[3]

Free Solo is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin[4] that profiles rock climber Alex Honnold on his quest to perform the first-ever free solo climb of a route on El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park, in June 2017.[5][6]

The film premiered at the 45th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018, and also screened at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award in the Documentaries category.[7] It was released in the United States on September 28, 2018, and grossed over $28 million at the worldwide box office.[8] Free Solo received acclaim from critics and numerous accolades, including winning Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards.[9][10]

Synopsis

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Climber Alex Honnold has been dreaming of free-soloing the 3,000 feet (900 m) rock wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a feat no one has performed. His choice of big wall climbing route on El Capitan is called Freerider, a route that was created by Alexander Huber in 1998, and which Honnold has completed several times with protection equipment. Freerider is graded at 5.13a (7c+) in difficulty, and no climber has ever completed a big-wall free solo at such a grade of difficulty in rock climbing history.

Alex is a shy loner who has lived and traveled alone in his van for several years, but recently he is sometimes joined by his new girlfriend Sanni McCandless (whom he later married). On one climb with Sanni, while she is feeding Alex's rope through a grigri on his descent, she makes a mistake, and he falls. He visits a physician and discovers he has some vertebral compression fractures. Alex admits to wanting to break up with Sanni over this incident, but decides against it after talking with her and learning the fractures are not very serious.

In the summer of 2016, Alex and Tommy Caldwell go climbing in Morocco to prepare for his El Capitan free solo. The film crew also prepares, discussing where to place cameras to best capture Alex’s climb while minimizing distractions and interference, and also the ethical dilemma of documenting this climb, knowing Alex may die on camera. At some point, Alex accepts an offer to receive an MRI in order to understand his brain's response to fear, and the results show that there is little or no activity in his amygdala in response to average stimuli.

In the fall of 2016, Alex sprains his ankle on El Capitan while traditional climbing (i.e., using ropes and protection equipment) on the first section of Freerider, the giant multi-pitch slab known as Freeblast and graded at 5.11b (6c). Not wanting to miss the chance to do the free climb that year, he only takes a brief break from climbing and resumes his preparations while his foot is still swollen. Around Halloween, Alex and Sanni carve pumpkins with Tommy and his wife and children. In an interview, Alex says his family did not hug and the word "love" was not used in his household, as his father lacked the ability to form emotional bonds.

Alex and Tommy rappel down Freerider on El Capitan, and Alex outlines his route, discussing the areas about which he is apprehensive. One section offers him two alternative pathways, which he calls "The Teflon Corner" (an internal right-angled section with a smooth slippery surface) and "The Boulder Problem" (a particularly intricate piece of the wall that has to be finished with either a jump or a wide "karate kick" stance). Both the crew and Sanni suggest abandoning the plan, and Alex admits he does not want his friends to see him die if he falls while free soloing. News of the death of Swiss climber Ueli Steck, with whom Alex had climbed, causes Alex to reflect on his own risk-taking, but Tommy comments on how little it ultimately seemed to effect Alex. When he finally decides to try to free solo El Capitan, Alex bails after the slab section of Freeblast, and filmmaker Jimmy Chin worries that the filming is putting unnecessary pressure on Alex.

After giving up on his plan to free solo El Capitan that season, Alex and Sanni buy a house in Las Vegas. Then, on June 3, 2017, Alex again attempts a free solo climb of Freerider. Sanni leaves just before he starts, expressing her apprehensions in an interview. The film crew watches nervously as Alex makes his way through each of the most difficult parts of the climb, and one cameraman turns away several times, as he cannot bear to watch. Alex completes the free solo in 3 hours and 56 minutes, celebrating at the top with Jimmy and—over the phone—Sanni. She quickly returns to be with him, and Alex does an interview with a journalist in which he contemplates his future, and the future of free solo climbing.

Production

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Prior to filming, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin struggled with the ethical ramifications and decisions behind creating Free Solo, knowing Honnold could die on camera.[11] Ultimately, they decided to go through with the film and devoted some time to documenting its own production process, with Chin and his camera crew discussing the challenge of not endangering climber Alex Honnold by distracting him or putting any pressure at all on him to attempt the climb. According to Vasarhelyi, filming without endangering Honnold was achieved only thanks to careful planning and practice.[12]

The production team captured 700 hours of footage using 12 cameras.[13] This included cameramen on the ground, cameramen on the cliff face, remote trigger cameras, and a helicopter with a 1,000 mm lens to capture the 4k video.[14][13] The cameramen were able to so effectively capture Honnold’s climb from different vantage points because they were all experienced climbers themselves.[14] Wireless mics could not be used to record sound from Honnold due to his distance from the cameras,[12] so the filmmakers created a special recording device and had Honnold carry it inside his chalk bag.[12]

The film was made by National Geographic Partners,[15] which at the time of the film's release was majority-owned by 21st Century Fox, with the remainder owned by the National Geographic Society.[16]

Release

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Free Solo premiered on August 31, 2018, at the 45th Telluride Film Festival, and it was shown at multiple film festivals internationally, including at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, after that.[8] It was released in theaters in the U.S. on September 28.[8]

Reception

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Box office

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The film grossed $17.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $11.1 million in other territories, for a total worldwide box office gross of $28.6 million.[17]

Its opening weekend, Free Solo earned $300,804 from four theaters, its per-venue average of $75,201 surpassing both Eighth Grade for the highest per-venue average of 2018, and An Inconvenient Sequel (2017) for the highest-ever per-venue average for a documentary.[18] The film expanded to 41 theaters its second weekend, earning $562,786,[19] and then grossed $859,051 from 129 theaters its third weekend[20] and $1 million from 251 theaters its fourth weekend.[21] During its fifth weekend in theaters, the film earned $1.06 million from 394 theaters, bringing its total box office gross to over $5 million.[22]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 160 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Free Solo depicts athletic feats that many viewers will find beyond reason – and grounds the attempts in passions that are all but universal."[23] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[24]

Peter Debruge of Variety praised the pacing of the film, saying: "Apart from a slow stretch around the hour mark, the filmmakers keep things lively (with a big assist from Marco Beltrami's pulse-quickening score, the nail-biting opposite of Tim McGraw's soaring end-credits single, "Gravity")."[25] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair called the film "bracingly made" and felt the filmmakers properly conveyed the challenges and dangers faced by Honnold in his endeavors: "Free Solo's detailed, transfixing portrait of their hero will at least show some sort of barrier to entry, communicating to those eager wannabes that very few people indeed are built quite like Alex Honnold. And thank goodness, in a way, for that."[26]

Michael Hale of Sight and Sound praised the filming techniques and resulting effect, saying that an image reminiscent of Greek mythology is evoked as Honnold is captured scaling the immense wall of El Capitan.[27] John Doyle of The Globe and Mail commended the "texture" of film, specifically the tension and intensity as Honnold repeatedly risks death, as well as the relatability of the scenes with Honnold and his girlfriend.[28]

Sam Wollastan of The Irish Times wrote that the film effectively captures an amazing athletic feat, the emotional development of Honnold, and the budding romance between Honnold and McCandless.[29] Jane Mulkerrins of The Times also praised this emotional development arc, remarking on the duality of the film as it examines Honnold's preparation and climb alongside his relationship with McCandless: "[Free Solo] captures the death-defying climb with vertigo-inducing camerawork. We see Honnold getting ready for the climb… At the same time, the armour of invincibility he's built up over the years fractures when he begins to fall in love with Sanni.”[30]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
Toronto International Film Festival September 16, 2018 People's Choice Documentary Free Solo Won [7]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 14, 2018 Original Score – Documentary Marco Beltrami Nominated [31]
Original Song – Documentary Tim McGraw and Lori McKenna Nominated
IDA Documentary Awards December 8, 2018 Best Feature Free Solo Nominated [32]
Best Cinematography Jimmy Chin, Clair Popkin and Mikey Schaefer Nominated
National Board of Review January 8, 2019 Top 5 Documentaries Free Solo Won [33]
Cinema Eye Honors January 10, 2019 Audience Choice Prize Free Solo Won [34]
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Jimmy Chin, Clair Popkin and Mikey Schaefer Won
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score Marco Beltrami Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Production Free Solo Won
Producers Guild of America Awards January 19, 2019 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill Nominated [35]
Directors Guild of America Awards February 2, 2019 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin Nominated [36]
British Academy Film Awards February 10, 2019 Best Documentary Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Shannon Dill and Evan Hayes Won [37]
Satellite Awards February 17, 2019 Best Documentary Film Free Solo Nominated [38]
Academy Awards February 24, 2019 Best Documentary Feature Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill Won [39]
Primetime Emmy Awards September 14, 2019 Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within an Unscripted Program Free Solo Won [40]
Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Jimmy Chin, Clair Popkin and Mikey Schaefer Won
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program Bob Eisenhardt Won
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Deborah Wallach, Filipe Messeder, Jim Schultz, Roland Vajs and Nuno Bento Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Tom Fleischman, Ric Schnupp, Tyson Lozensky and Jim Hurst Won
Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) Marco Beltrami and Brandon Roberts Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (10 September 2019). "'Free Solo' Distributor Greenwich Entertainment Sets Canadian Output Deal With LevelFILM — TIFF". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  2. ^ "'What If He Fell?' The Huge Risks of 'Free Solo' Mean Its Reward Could Be the Best Doc Oscar". Indie Wire. 15 February 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "Free Solo (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (February 22, 2019). "A guide to this year's exceptionally good Oscar-nominated documentaries". Vox.
  5. ^ Free Solo Movie Review Common Sense Media.
  6. ^ 'Free Solo': How filmmakers avoided kill Alex Honnold as he climbed USA Today.
  7. ^ a b Nordine, Michael (September 16, 2018). "TIFF 2018 Awards: 'Green Book' Wins the People's Choice Award, Upsetting 'A Star Is Born'". IndieWire. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "Free Solo Release Info". IMDb.
  9. ^ "Oscar Nominations 2019: The Complete List". Variety. January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  10. ^ ""Free Solo" wins Best Documentary Feature". March 25, 2019 – via Oscars on YouTube.
  11. ^ Vasarhelyi and Chin (2018). "What if He Falls". U.S. Newsstream. ProQuest 2127414312.
  12. ^ a b c O'Falt, Chris (October 17, 2018). "At 3,000 Feet, Shooting 'Free Solo' Was More Like 'Mission: Impossible' Than a Documentary". IndieWire. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  13. ^ a b Salisbury, M (2019). "Capturing the Drama of a Free Solo Climb Up El Capitan". Broadcast. ProQuest 2174304892.
  14. ^ a b Feinberg, Scott (2019). "Could Free Solo Break through Category Barriers? the Ambitious Film about Climber Alex Honnold Required its Cameramen to be both Climbers and Shooters, a Virtuosic Achievement -- but It Faces Equally Complicated Challenges (its Genre, its Multiple DPs) on the Path to a Cinematography Nomination". Hollywood Reporter. 425: 25–26.
  15. ^ "Nat Geo Channel to Air Ad-Free 'Free Solo' on Sunday, March 3". Multichannel. February 27, 2019.
  16. ^ O'Falt, Chris (October 3, 2018). "Alex Honnold's Freerider Free Solo: 360 Degree Video". Climbing.
  17. ^ "Free Solo (2018) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  18. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (September 30, 2018). "'Free Solo' Documentary Climbs Indie Box Office With Best Screen Average of 2018". Variety. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  19. ^ Brooks, Brian (October 7, 2018). "'Studio 54' And 'Free Solo': It's Still All About The Parties – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  20. ^ Brooks, Brian (October 14, 2018). "'Beautiful Boy' Tops Not-So-Hot Weekend; 'Free Solo' Over $2.1M: Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  21. ^ Brooks, Brian (October 21, 2018). "'Mid90s' Off To Far From Middling Start; 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' & 'Wildlife' Solid In Bows – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  22. ^ Brooks, Brian (October 28, 2018). "'Suspiria' Opens Big with Year's Best Average; 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' Solid: Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  23. ^ "Free Solo (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "Free Solo reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  25. ^ Debruge, Peter (August 31, 2018). "Film Review: 'Free Solo'". Variety. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  26. ^ Lawson, Richard (September 1, 2018). "Review: Free Solo Is a Dizzying, Fascinating Rock-Climbing Documentary". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  27. ^ Hale, Michael (2019). "Free Solo". Sight and Sound. 29: 102–103. ProQuest 2166689763.
  28. ^ Doyle, John (2019). "Watch this and Gasp: Oscar-Winner Free Solo is a Stunner: Alex Honnold's Extraordinary Feat may Prove Stressful to Watch, but the climb—and the intensity of watching it—is breathtaking". The Globe and Mail.
  29. ^ Wollastan, Sam (2019). "Fighting a Single-Handed Battle Against Gravity: Alex Honnold Scaled the World's Toughest Clim El Capitan on His Own and without a Rope. Thanks to an Oscar-Winning Film, the World has Now Noticed". The Irish Times.
  30. ^ Mulkerrins, Jane (2018). "He Hangs on by His Fingertips for Four [...]: When Alex Honnold Scaled the El Capitan Rock Face in California Unaided, it Confirmed His Reputation as the Most Fearless Free Climber on the Planet. An Astonish Documentary Recorded the Remarkable Feat, but do You have the Nerve to Watch it?". The Times.
  31. ^ Xu, Linda (November 15, 2018). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  32. ^ Lewis, Hilary (December 8, 2018). "IDA Documentary Awards: 'Minding the Gap' Wins Best Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  33. ^ Lewis, Hilary (November 27, 2018). "'Green Book' Named Best Film by National Board of Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  34. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (November 8, 2018). "Hulu's 'Minding the Gap' Ties Cinema Eye Honors All-Time Nominations Record". Variety. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  35. ^ "All Motion Picture and TV Nominations for 30th Annual Producers Guild Awards presented by Cadillac". Producers Guild of America. January 4, 2019. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  36. ^ "DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for 2018". Directors Guild of America. January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  37. ^ "Documentary – Free Solo". British Academy Film Awards. 9 January 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  38. ^ "2018 Awards Nominees". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  39. ^ "The 91st Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  40. ^ "Free Solo". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
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