The Movie I Can’t Stop Thinking About

Amazing film! We attended a screening followed by a Q&A with the director a couple of months ago – so interesting to hear the filmmaker talk. We frequently visit Yosemite and are familiar with El Cap and the surrounding landmarks, but I was still blown away by the shots and the concept of climbing that rock face with no ropes…. NO ROPES!

just watched laura dern in the tale — my god! what a captivating story…

I’m wrapping up design production work for an upcoming book written by his mother Dierdre Wolownick, who ends up being inspired by both her children to start running in marathons and climbing later in life. She’s the oldest woman to ever climb El Capitan. So amazing!

My son is a climber – and I’m afraid of heights.

He loves the movie – and I can’t watch it.

Yes, BEST movie I’ve seen in a long time. So inspiring!

Jumped to the comments to say that this was the best documentary I saw last year! I loved it. Also as a big fan of Alex’s I was skeptical this doc would show me something new about his personality or his lifestyle but that was definitely not the case. Highly recommend it!

We saw it on imax last weekend and I can’t stop thinking about it, either!! I was fascinated by his amygdala. And I thought it was really interesting how premeditated and cautious he was, considering what he was trying to accomplish. He talked about how other solo climbers often just want to achieve something once, but he didn’t go for it until he was reasonably sure he could do it consistently, and didn’t try until then. The whole thing was fascinating and breathtaking!

My palms get clammy and my feet start tingling just READING about this!! I was absolutely fascinated by this story as it was happening and read everything I could find on it. I cannot even fathom wanting to make such a climb. I’d love to see the movie, but it would make me so nervous even though I know he succeeds!

Good for him, not for me! I focused on the text of the post because the photos gave me anxiety. I find that the more into my 20s I get, the more afraid I am — it’s almost like all these possibilities are opening up for me, but the risks are bigger and bigger and I don’t want to lose them.

Another film to watch about Yosemite climber’s movement is The Down Wall. Extremely moving too!!

For all the haters out there… I think Joanna missed giving a HUGE piece to the puzzle. Alex has an abnormal amygdala. He PHYSICALLY does NOT experience fear or risk in the same manner that some of us experience it. Who in this comment board has ever sky dived, zip-lined, done the Six Flags Giant drop, watched a horror film, bought something we’ve wanted for years but that is just out of reasonable price range? We all experience fear and joy and excitement on a vastly different scale. His physical feeling of fear and with that, excitement kicks in way later than any of ours ever would. It is tough to talk about Alex Honnold unless you watch the documentary where the viewer sits in with the doctors, watching them perform the brain scan/ fMRI on Honnold. That test literally shows you just how abnormal his brain is. Would any of us want to live a life without feeling a rush EVER? I ask you think about that before you judge him.

This guy has a massive comfort zone! I am finding I am getting more and more afraid. I think it happened after having children. I haven’t been able to learn how to drive because I’m afraid and I just can’t visualise myself doubt it. I confronted that fear last year with lessons but made a few mistakes and chickened out again. This year I have a goal to be braver. Not quite that guy brave! Ha! But at least not let fear hold me back from things I want to do. Increase my comfort zone.

Loved the article someone posted about his brain. Thanks!

For weeks after I saw this documentary, I could not shut up about it. I told everyone who would listen. It really stays with you! That climb was unreal. What an amazing, terrifying, insane, spectacular accomplishment.

I wish my brain was missing it’s fear center also. It’s wild, and kind of sad, to imagine just how different my life would be if it weren’t for fear. This documentary looks amazing Joanna, thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to watch it!

I live in Chicago and saw a screening back in October. Alex and Jimmy Chin (the filmmaker and also an amazing climber/skier/photographer) came to do a q&a. Months later I still think about it. An amazing documentary.

NOPE! I’ve never considered myself a fraidy cat – but the stakes of this, I just don’t think I could hang for 2 hours in that constant state of concern for his imminent death EVEN THOUGH I KNOW HE MADE IT. Loved reading about it here & will treasure that (:

When you said it reminded you of a card, before even clicking on it, I knew it was the Emily McDowell card! I bought that card for my boyfriend for our recent anniversary. One of my favorite memories of our first date is that we bonded over the fact that we didn’t like hiking (and everyone in the online dating world seemed to love hiking!) and we promised each other we’d never go hiking. As he likes to tell me, “We’re inside people.” :D

My grandfather died on the Grand Teton free climbing in the 1980s. He was incredibly experienced, but someone else made a mistake and in saving that man’s life he gave up his own—so nope, this does not look appealing to me!

One of my favourite authors did a piece on Honnold a while back — it is well worth a read! http://m.nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber

This is the cover story for the February issue of National Geographic magazine. (I used to work there and had a huge print of Alex Honnold’s last free solo in Yosemite on my wall, but had to take it down because looking at it made my hands sweat).

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/02/alex-honnold-made-ultimate-climb-el-capitan-without-rope/

His poor mother.

I haven’t seen this movie yet, but it’s on my list. His story reminds me a bit of Colin O’Brady who just became the first person to travel across Antartica completely solo. I loved following his story on Instagram- he posted pictures/videos over the course of his 70+ days of travel. I love that there are still achievements that humans have yet to accomplish, that there is still SO much more that we can do and be. Stories like Free Solo and Colin’s just highlight this concept. It’s amazing what the human mind and body can do! (as a side note…. where are the lady adventurers?! I know they are out there… but I want to see movies about them too!). :)

Here in Belfast Northern Ireland there was a limited showing of Free Solo; but encouragingly the queue was out of the door! What an immense film, we talked for a long time about it afterwards but the thing that fascinated / disturbed me the most was the relationship with his girlfriend…she was sweet but we felt she was always trying to mould him into something he intrinsically isn’t. I wonder if anyone else felt this?

I saw this one on a date night with my husband and walked away feeling equally in awe of him (so daring and yet carefully calculated!) and confounded by him (is it really worth the risk?).

I gotta say, it was a good feeling! I’ll never be in his shoes, but I liked imagining what my scary project might be, and how I’ll support my loved ones if/when they attempt scary projects of their own.

We talked about Alex for WEEKS afterward. My husband even showed our two young boys the trailer (to which they said, “Awesome!” and for which I emphasized the importance of being both brave AND wise.;)

Finally, I listened to Alex in a bunch of interviews following the release of the film and found it comforting that he doesn’t have another crazy solo project in mind (what could top El Cap, he explained). He’s so absolutely likable that I hope he continues to feel satisfied with a safer version of the sport in the future. :)

I also saw this movie and found myself thinking of it long after. It brings up all sorts of reflections on life, passion, fear, risk, etc. I’m blown away and inspired by his accomplishments!

For those who have also seen it, I’m curious about your thoughts on his relationship. In some ways you see them growing closer and building something strong and lovely with one another. But I also found myself bristling a lot. Being unwilling to compromise, minimize risk, or “maximize lifetime” is his prerogative – but to me, that conflicts with the idea of sharing your life with someone. I have a hard time squaring the concept of partnership with single-minded pursuit of a life-threatening passion. THAT SAID, totally not my business, and they seem to have built something very special together. (Maybe this is as a case of “good for them, not for me!”) Just interesting to ponder these big picture themes.

I feel like I have been giving my 10-year-old the same parenting talk for months now – if you want A’s, you need to put the effort in and study. If you want to be good at basketball – you need to practice every day. Talent only takes you so far – you have to work hard. This movie did a much better job at driving this point home than I normally do.

And then there are the times when part of Yosemite closes because a pro free climber fell.

One of the best rock climbers in the world and many big wave surfers come from my town. These guys (and occasional women) in real life feel like they are missing a key part of their brain. Larger than life, a creature apart, brilliant athletes and charming humans but…you know how people on the autism spectrum don’t have the social reactions most folks do and you sort of feel that after chatting a while? I think these extreme athletes don’t have the fear/self preservation part of their brain functioning. You can feel it. They just don’t look at danger like most folks do. It’s almost like a special kind of disability, like they don’t react to unreasonable situations properly, the stop-no-way flag, it just isn’t there. I have respect for how palpably unusual they are, but it feels more like crazy in real life, and the things they are known for as teens around town before they found their saving-grace sport are often harrowing. Skateboarding through the sewers and getting stuck! Hitchhiking to Baja and getting stuck in the desert rescued by a group of prostitutes! Stealing pot for the Hawaiian drug cartel and having to disappear to Australia for a while! Very different from, say, how Misty Copeland might feel. Compassion for their families and second grade teachers. That brain must’ve been quite a genetic thread amongst the Vikings. I have a great brain for keeping people alive, I’ll be over here doing that!