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Free Solo

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02:22

Free Solo

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• Documentary
• Adventure

• 2018
• Jimmy Chin
• 99 mins
• 12A

Summary

Oscar-winning documentary about climber Alex Honnold's preparations to conquer the formidable El Capitan rock formation in California's Yosemite National Park and be the first to succeed without ropes or safety equipment.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Stephen Carty

At the start of this spellbinding, Oscar-winning documentary, we see a man climbing a towering rock face. He is thousands of feet above the ground, clinging to a vertical surface, but there are no ropes or safety equipment. The man is Alex Honnold, an elite rock climber who is scaling El Capitan, an imposing, 3,000-foot rock formation in Yosemite National Park. Nobody has climbed "El Cap" without safety gear, but Alex wants to change that. Free Solo documents Alex's preparation (rehearsing the route, perfecting body movements), and it examines how such a dangerous feat affects his girlfriend and, indeed, the crew filming the attempt. Undoubtedly, the final 20 minutes of the film are remarkable, as we follow Alex's death-defying climb. It's awe-inspiring to watch and shot in such a way that you are right there on his shoulder. At times, you just cannot believe your eyes. Words like "stunning" and "spectacular" are overused in film criticism, but Free Solo deserves them.

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8.1/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Disney+
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameAlex HonnoldAlex HonnoldTommy CaldwellTommy CaldwellSanni McCandlessSanni McCandlessJimmy ChinJimmy Chin

Crew

rolenameDirectorJimmy ChinDirectorElizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Details

Theatrical distributor

Dogwoof

Released on

2018-12-14

Languages

English

Guidance

Some swearing.

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

News & features about Free Solo

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• 
  
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  The fearless climber was daunted by an event much closer to sea level

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