Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin on "Free Solo"

Dec 07, 2018

A discussion with directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin following a screening of Free Solo. How high would you climb to fulfill your destiny? If you are celebrated professional rock-climber Alex Honnold, the answer would be "the tallest rock-face on earth" (Yosemite's El Capitan). That challenge in and of itself is a remarkable feat of human determination. What sets Alex apart is his obsession to do it without safety ropes. Experienced mountain-doc filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin take on the dual challenge of capturing the record-breaking free climb, and capturing the peripatetic life of their subject. The result is a powerful work of cinema that is both heart-stopping and heart-melting.