The Alpinist
When filmmaker Peter Mortimer (The Dawn Wall) encounters an elusive young climber named Marc-André Leclerc, an evolution in free solo mountaineering unfolds. Along the two-year journey up high alpine peaks and steep frozen waterfalls, Peter explores Marc’s connection to nature, his uncompromising quest for adventure, and the risks he takes to pursue his passion.
2021Rating: E92 minsUSA
DocumentarySport
The Alpinist / Reviews
The New York Times
The movie could stand to demystify how some of its most terrifying early shots were filmed... But it does capture its subject’s philosophy.
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The Guardian
Perhaps a more measured, sideways look at the weird dropout culture around climbing would have been more interesting.
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Roger Ebert
If glorifying a sport as lethal as alpinism itself runs a kind of risk, there’s no denying the heart-in-mouth thrill of watching Leclerc in the zone...
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A.V. Club
Having a subject who largely refuses to cooperate, thereby forcing the filmmakers to sit around at home and relate much of what happens indirectly, doesn’t exactly make for a classic.
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