As a fan of extreme sports, I should probably recommend you to watch this movie; but as a former runner of self-abandoning martial arts, I have actually avoided this kind of subject matter, and I am afraid I can’t answer your question. : Why does Alex want to solo El Cap? If he loses his hand when he loses his hand, why should he bet on his life and give it a go?
1.Alex
I don’t have a clear answer, although Ale himself tried to answer this question: a slightly lonely childhood, rock climbing can’t talk to others, a mother who has never embraced, a father who took him to the beginning, love of nature, vegetarianism and environmental protection concepts, etc. Maybe they are all reasons, but they may all be excuses.
I can understand his persistence in this matter from my perspective. If people die sooner or later, and don’t do what they want to do, how interesting is it to live? The adventure is just to be happy for himself. When Alex succeeds in the challenge, he is happy like a child on the grass: "I have never laughed so much~"
I think it is enough to have such a moment in my life.
Alex is not reckless, his training plan and intensity, his repeated scrutiny and exercises on the various difficulties of the Emirates Rock before climbing, and other abandonments in life are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He has also been confused. He gave up during the first challenge, and then confirmed with another rock climber whether it was the right choice for him to be photographed. The other party repeatedly emphasized that he was climbing with "a circus". He did not answer, but the director was greatly relieved that he did not insist because the filming team was present.
Alex is very self-disciplined and focused. He only records training and weather in his notes. There is no "I miss..." or "I saw a cute Corgi today when I went down the mountain."
It is a dream to solo Chief Rock with bare hands. He has been preparing for this for 8 years, but he is undoubtedly extremely restrained. The first day was very ordinary, there were no prayers or unnecessary rituals, just put down the backpack, and went up purely. After climbing up, I just smiled (presumably a certain countryman will definitely take out a national flag and wave it), and then do pull-ups with my fingers in the afternoon.
So when my girlfriend asked: Do you think you have no obligation to ensure my survival? (To the effect, I forgot specifically)
Alex said frankly, "No."
Then Sunni asked again, and Alex looked straight at her and repeated it again.
At this time, a stone in my heart finally fell to the ground~ If someone like him gives up his dream because of someone's obstruction, then he is not the brave I imagined. I am very happy that he is indifferent to honor, and he is also Not sentimental.
Except for the parent's duty to raise children under age, I don't think anyone needs to give up the pursuit for another person. This is why I hate my girlfriend asking Alex to choose between her and rock climbing.
2. Girlfriend
Sunni got acquainted at the Alex Picture Bookmark Sale. She already knew what kind of boyfriend he was, so why forced him to provide a warm family? You know it's not what he wants. Alex, who likes motor homes, bought a house and changed the door of the refrigerator. I think it's very considerate. His girlfriend actually accused him of not coming to help measure the length. You must know that those two falls meant a shortened professional life for the athletes. Do you understand the physical damage to the body of taking ibuprofen every day? When she finally finished climbing, she said: I hope he's DONE.
She doesn't really love him, and she doesn't understand the persistence and craziness that a person has after loving things. There is no need to refute this.
His girlfriend is actually smart. When Alex started to break up, she said: Think about it, would your life be better without me?
What a rational and calm thinking! I almost admire her for this. To be honest, when I consider whether to be separated from someone, I also weigh the gains and losses in this way. After repeated consideration, Alex also chose to continue walking with her. I speculate that he longs for the warmth of the world, but doesn't want so much.
Therefore, I am not accusing my girlfriend, I just want to emphasize that you have to think clearly about what you want, and be prepared to pay for it and not complain. For example, what I bought before climbing included insurance for the repatriation of the body, the contract signed before parachuting, and the current decision to suspend training.
3. Director
You know, documentaries are not true. It's just the material and editing that the director chooses to let us see, and it's not completely objective.
I like the rhythm of this film. I described Alex's daily life before, and in the end it only took ten minutes to show those exciting processes. There is no sensationalism, no interview with the previous girlfriend, many phenomena just show up, but you can feel his attitude.
One of the directors, Jimmy Chin, of Chinese origin, is also a professional rock climber and climber. He and another director, Elizabeth, who has not shown his face all the time, are husband and wife (it feels that this pair is more interesting). The previous work MERU is also breathtaking.
Jimmy talked about it with Mark Synnott (the author of the book "Into the Thin Air Zone" which recorded the 1996 Mount Everest disaster before shooting. The principle is that climbers must not be disturbed. In the end, he used drones and long distances. The shooting achieved this.
4. Other
As we all know, behind the victory is the daily boring and monotonous training. For a glorious moment, you must make persistent efforts and endure many things you don't like.
The day before watching this film, I finally gritted my teeth and replied to my seniors that I won't run UTMT in 2020. At present, I can't train systematically and don't want to force myself. In fact, I plan to stop running more than 50 races in the near future, at least in recent years.
Now that I have watched the film, my determination has not changed, but I don't know if this is correct, and I still feel regret and uneasy.
PS The details of Alex's feat can be found in the book The Impossible Climb by Mark, and I will share it when I finish reading it.
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