Free Solo

[Anonymous]

I hope to see a matinee showing of it this week at the Avalon. looking forward to it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:wow I can't believe the negativity towards Alex or his girlfriend. I loved Free Solo and thought it was a great look into what drives him to climb and to risk his live doing what he loves.

I though the look into his relationship was interesting; in every relationship there is a fine line between not letting somebody hold you back from pursuing your passion and dreams. I think the girlfriend's take was very real- you love this person and don't want to see them die doing what they love, but you also love them enough to not hold them back from their dreams.

I don't think Alex is depressed or has a death wish at all. I do think he is on the spectrum and that may help him to stay so calm in these tough situations. I actually thought that one of the most impressive things about the documentary was how it showed all the prep work that went into this time. How he spent years studying El Cap and planning out and choreographing every move he was going to make to get to the top. Someone with a death wish would just go for it without thinking.

I don’t get the disrespect for the girlfriend either.

Alex acknowledges depression in the film.

I don’t think he is actively trying to kill himself, but the likelihood of death is so high that he can’t be said to have a true respect for his own life.

[Anonymous]

great movie - visually stunning and a remarkable story. Interestingly, I found myself getting irritated with the girlfriend too, thinking she was this distraction to his "mission" I caught myself and had to shift gears about it, because she was actually good for him as a person - are humans meant to be alone? free solo our entire lives? I felt like she brought him some perspective and a chance for a meaningful relationship, unlike what he'd experienced before

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:wow I can't believe the negativity towards Alex or his girlfriend. I loved Free Solo and thought it was a great look into what drives him to climb and to risk his live doing what he loves.

I though the look into his relationship was interesting; in every relationship there is a fine line between not letting somebody hold you back from pursuing your passion and dreams. I think the girlfriend's take was very real- you love this person and don't want to see them die doing what they love, but you also love them enough to not hold them back from their dreams.

I don't think Alex is depressed or has a death wish at all. I do think he is on the spectrum and that may help him to stay so calm in these tough situations. I actually thought that one of the most impressive things about the documentary was how it showed all the prep work that went into this time. How he spent years studying El Cap and planning out and choreographing every move he was going to make to get to the top. Someone with a death wish would just go for it without thinking.

+1 on all of this. Thought the gf (who was still with him as of the Academy Awards in Feb) was adorable and real (though sure she may have started as a climbing groupie at his book signing) and gave him the ability to show more of a depth of emotion to us as viewers.

[Anonymous]

http://climbingzine.com/sanni-mccandless-force-nature-joy-martin/

This is a nice article on the gf - she seems like a good person.

[Anonymous]

Breathtaking OP. I couldn't believe anyone was able to do what he did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow I can't believe the negativity towards Alex or his girlfriend. I loved Free Solo and thought it was a great look into what drives him to climb and to risk his live doing what he loves.

I though the look into his relationship was interesting; in every relationship there is a fine line between not letting somebody hold you back from pursuing your passion and dreams. I think the girlfriend's take was very real- you love this person and don't want to see them die doing what they love, but you also love them enough to not hold them back from their dreams.

I don't think Alex is depressed or has a death wish at all. I do think he is on the spectrum and that may help him to stay so calm in these tough situations. I actually thought that one of the most impressive things about the documentary was how it showed all the prep work that went into this time. How he spent years studying El Cap and planning out and choreographing every move he was going to make to get to the top. Someone with a death wish would just go for it without thinking.

I don’t get the disrespect for the girlfriend either.

Alex acknowledges depression in the film.

I don’t think he is actively trying to kill himself, but the likelihood of death is so high that he can’t be said to have a true respect for his own life.

Yep, I have the same feelings on all three points. He is not suicidal, per se, but he does not mind if his life ends tomorrow, which says something....
As a viewer, I can’t tell if that’s something to do with depression or being on the spectrum or what.

Girlfriend cares deeply about him, and I feel a measure of sympathy for her for falling in love with someone so inaccessible. No way would I date someone so emotionally cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow I can't believe the negativity towards Alex or his girlfriend. I loved Free Solo and thought it was a great look into what drives him to climb and to risk his live doing what he loves.

I though the look into his relationship was interesting; in every relationship there is a fine line between not letting somebody hold you back from pursuing your passion and dreams. I think the girlfriend's take was very real- you love this person and don't want to see them die doing what they love, but you also love them enough to not hold them back from their dreams.

I don't think Alex is depressed or has a death wish at all. I do think he is on the spectrum and that may help him to stay so calm in these tough situations. I actually thought that one of the most impressive things about the documentary was how it showed all the prep work that went into this time. How he spent years studying El Cap and planning out and choreographing every move he was going to make to get to the top. Someone with a death wish would just go for it without thinking.

I don’t get the disrespect for the girlfriend either.

Alex acknowledges depression in the film.

I don’t think he is actively trying to kill himself, but the likelihood of death is so high that he can’t be said to have a true respect for his own life.

I think there have actually been studies of his brain patterns - the kid just doesn't experience the same level of fear as normal human beings.

http://nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wow I can't believe the negativity towards Alex or his girlfriend. I loved Free Solo and thought it was a great look into what drives him to climb and to risk his live doing what he loves.

I though the look into his relationship was interesting; in every relationship there is a fine line between not letting somebody hold you back from pursuing your passion and dreams. I think the girlfriend's take was very real- you love this person and don't want to see them die doing what they love, but you also love them enough to not hold them back from their dreams.

I don't think Alex is depressed or has a death wish at all. I do think he is on the spectrum and that may help him to stay so calm in these tough situations. I actually thought that one of the most impressive things about the documentary was how it showed all the prep work that went into this time. How he spent years studying El Cap and planning out and choreographing every move he was going to make to get to the top. Someone with a death wish would just go for it without thinking.

I don’t get the disrespect for the girlfriend either.

Alex acknowledges depression in the film.

I don’t think he is actively trying to kill himself, but the likelihood of death is so high that he can’t be said to have a true respect for his own life.

I think there have actually been studies of his brain patterns - the kid just doesn't experience the same level of fear as normal human beings.

http://nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber

Yes - the showed as much in the movie. His amygdala is not activated in situations that normally provoke a response of fear.

I loved this movie and respect Alex very much for living his life so unattached (no pun intended). I would also recommend the doc McConkey about BASE jumper Shane McConkey. Shane's marriage is a central part of the doc and it seemed his wife accepted that this was his way of life and she wasn't going to change him (it's no spoiler to tell you that he died during a jump). I think Alex's girlfriend pursued him for what he is and now expects him to change in some way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think Alex Honnold is depressed at all. Not sure how you make that assumption.

I thought he might be slightly on the spectrum

This is what I thought. He seems so emotionless and strange. And didn't they say his father was likely on the spectrum? I also think he's (Alex) slightly narcissistic. I did not find him likable at all. And his achievement is one of those useless, vanity achievements. I get it that people will disagree. But, risking your life -potentially dying horribly while friends are watching and your GF is home alone waiting for you- is such a useless endeavor. There are many other ways to appreciate the splendor, awesomeness, etc. of nature and the human body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The gf was extremely annoying. She was crying and hoping he wouldn't do it, yet he stated over and over climbing is above all including relationships. He doesnt seem capable of having one, nor that he really cares about people in general.

How does that make the GF annoying? It makes her a bit dumb, doing exactly the thing that he doesn't want her to do and the thing he said would not stop him. But, she didn't even know him when they first met. She was attracted to him - no doubt the risk aspect was part of it. But, she fell in love with him. Why, I cannot understand, as I found him gross on many levels. It is natural for her to want him to stop, even though she knows he want. I thought she was very poorly portrayed in the movie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think Alex Honnold is depressed at all. Not sure how you make that assumption.

I thought he might be slightly on the spectrum

This is what I thought. He seems so emotionless and strange. And didn't they say his father was likely on the spectrum? I also think he's (Alex) slightly narcissistic. I did not find him likable at all. And his achievement is one of those useless, vanity achievements. I get it that people will disagree. But, risking your life -potentially dying horribly while friends are watching and your GF is home alone waiting for you- is such a useless endeavor. There are many other ways to appreciate the splendor, awesomeness, etc. of nature and the human body.

This is my feeling too. Do watch Dawn Wall about Tommy Caldwell. I found it much more enjoyable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think Alex Honnold is depressed at all. Not sure how you make that assumption.

I thought he might be slightly on the spectrum

This is what I thought. He seems so emotionless and strange. And didn't they say his father was likely on the spectrum? I also think he's (Alex) slightly narcissistic. I did not find him likable at all. And his achievement is one of those useless, vanity achievements. I get it that people will disagree. But, risking your life -potentially dying horribly while friends are watching and your GF is home alone waiting for you- is such a useless endeavor. There are many other ways to appreciate the splendor, awesomeness, etc. of nature and the human body.

Unfortunately many well known climbers are in it for the glory. If not they wouldn’t quest for something that no one else has ever done, and they wouldn’t feel the need for witnesses to verify that they actually did it. Honnold is no different.

[Anonymous]

DH And his friend made me watch Dawn wall. I keep meaning to see this. I can't help thinking about the torture the moms of free soloist go through. Sometimes it makes me irrationally angry. These are not my kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The gf was extremely annoying. She was crying and hoping he wouldn't do it, yet he stated over and over climbing is above all including relationships. He doesnt seem capable of having one, nor that he really cares about people in general.

How does that make the GF annoying? It makes her a bit dumb, doing exactly the thing that he doesn't want her to do and the thing he said would not stop him. But, she didn't even know him when they first met. She was attracted to him - no doubt the risk aspect was part of it. But, she fell in love with him. Why, I cannot understand, as I found him gross on many levels. It is natural for her to want him to stop, even though she knows he want. I thought she was very poorly portrayed in the movie.

DP: the GF comes across extremely selfish, she KNEW what she was getting into. She doesn't care about his goals, his aspirations, his values. She just wants him to become another beer-drinking predictable dad.

Heck, then why seduce Alex f#cking free solo?