El Alpinista

I wasn't going to see it but gave it a go with my unlimited card. I was gripped from start to finish , outstanding and what an incredible young man .

Greetings again from the darkness. I nearly opted to pass on this since I assumed it would be similar to watching Alex Honnold climb in Best Documentary Oscar winner FREE SOLO (2018), and that was a visceral viewing experience that should not be messed with. To ease my concerns, the filmmakers Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen interview Honnold early on, and Alex makes it abundantly clear how impressed he is with the solo climbing of Marc-Andre LeClerc, the focus of this film.

The opening sequence is truly breathtaking as we watch LeClerc climb. The filmmakers followed him, or at least attempted to, for the better part of two years. Honnold explains that LeClerc never sought adulation or recognition, and purposefully remained under the radar - a form of purity (and elusiveness). But even climbers have a grapevine, and over time the stories of LeClerc's solo climbs became somewhat legendary.

Two things are well known about free climbing: these folks are a different breed - beating to their own drum, and the risk of death is extraordinary (we see a roster of some who have perished). Somehow LeClerc is even more extreme than this community of extremists. He owned neither a cell phone nor a vehicle. He had no home, and in fact, he and his girlfriend Brette Harrington recounted sleeping in a stairwell (for warmth, not comfort). As kindred spirits, LeClerc and Brette would sometimes climb together, while other times, he would take off on a new adventure.

As elusive and private as he remained, LeClerc's own time on camera endears him to us - whether he's climbing or just talking. For such a young man, his thoughts seem clear and deep. He understands what makes him tick, and his mother admits a 9-to-5 job was never a possibility. LeClerc recalls his hard partying phase, and how climbing helped him recover. The filmmakers panic about halfway through when their star goes AWOL and they struggle to track him down.

The photography is stunning at times, and there are drone shots that capture the spectacle of a lone climber dwarfed by nature. Just when our nerves are frazzled to bits, the ante gets upped with LeClerc displaying his ice climbing ability, and his trip to Patagonia to take on Torre Egger, the most challenging climb in the western Hemisphere. Other climbers provide some insight into the mindset, as well as LeClerc's accomplishments. Brette and LeClerc's mother also provide perspective, and while we may have some comprehension of alpinism and solo climbing, it's Marc-Andre LeClerc's natural habitat, and the only place he could quiet his mind.

In U. S. theaters on September 10, 2021, following a September 7 nationwide Fathom Events premiere, featuring exclusive bonus content (and an interview with directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen)

Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, on remote alpine faces. No cameras, no rope, and no margin for error. Climbing for Leclerc is spiritual and brings peace to his roaming mind. He doesn't climb for awards or notoriety. He climbs mountains for the purest of all reasons: because they are there.

Co-directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen are climbers themselves. Their talented eyes balance the wonders of the mountain top views with the dangers that one slip can bring. Fans of the Oscar winner Free Solo should seek out Mortimer's The Dawn Wall, which is an equally-compelling documentary also filmed at El Capitan.

Here, both Mortimer and Rosen's talents are tested with The Alpinist as free spirit Leclerc is not one who sits still. Nor does he exhibit the patience for the schedules of film crews let alone delays due to the weather. Leclerc notoriously climbs solo. He disappears, and not only when climbing. He is always seeking solitary space. When the cameras are able to capture him hard at play, the end result is spectacular.

Similar to other mountaineering documentaries, The Alpinist is a story of perseverance and strength. Unlike others, The Alpinist does not merely balance on the edge of triumph and tragedy, but intermixes the two into a gut-punch of a finale. Marc-André Leclerc is an incredible climber whose spirit is as indomitable as the peaks he summits. Leclerc, in all his humility, is quite the beacon for those who wish to overcome any obstacle, be it addiction, mental illness, or that mountain on the horizon. Through Leclerc, the human adventure continues.

He is little known, but deserves this film, a great tribute to a great climber. I'm an armchair climber (but real life mountain freak) and this is a great journey I'm glad I got to go on. Great climbing footage and real life adventures (many!) rivaling, if not surpassing, Free Solo, Dawn Wall, and Meru (my personal fav, but it's a different thing). The faces he climbs in this made me quake to my toes, just incredible, but oh the rewards! His achievements, just in this film, are many and mind-boggling. This isn't about just one fantastic ascent, but many (and some firsts).

All the things people say about people like this and the risks they take, or fates with which they flirt, are just BS. We ALL take risks everyday. Driving on a freeway can be just as swift and life changing as free soloing or any mountaineering, and neither is any more or less tragic. Risky is risky, but at least he does it in such breathtaking places, and gets to challenge himself in unique ways. The beauty is that he's so positive and seems to live in the now, with such enthusiasm. If you don't learn from these things and don't recognize that it's the journey, you are just a fool on a rock face, which Mark-Andre is not. Is the punter who "climbs" Everest any more wise for the ego gratifying stunt? Usually not and the risks are pretty dire even for that.

I was thinking of my inspirations and goals while watching this, and I realized that, in my own way, I went for it, too. Very different from Mark-Andre, yet not pulling back from anything. So thanks to Mark-Andre as I often am so hard on myself. It's also very inspiring, no matter your situation, to keep going on and not stop now. Or what are we alive for? Above and beyond, always.

A very emotional journey, and maybe the best thing is that, by the end, you really, really care about Mark-Andre and feel something genuine, so hats off to the filmmakers for that. And hats off to Mark-Andre for finally letting them film him, so that we can enjoy a fraction of what he enjoys and learn who he is. And just huge props to a once in a generation climber. May you find that perfect summit, that perfect sunrise, Mark-Andre!

Each life on this earth has a path to follow and a reason to walk on that road. This documentary shows one of those different roads being turged by this beautiful individual and a wonderful soul, away from all the sparkling beauty that today's artificial world shows. Brilliant Documentary.