The Alpinist

As shown in Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen’s enthralling documentary, tousle-haired, genial Canadian alpinist Marc-André Leclerc approaches his staggering feats of “free solo” (no ropes, no safety equipment) climbing from a philosophical and spiritual point of view. In fact, at one point, after temporarily disappearing and leaving the filmmakers high and dry, he says it isn’t even a solo climb if there is a camera on him. Luckily for us, though, Leclerc allows the filmmakers to film him performing unbelievable feats—be prepared to hold on to the edge of your seats because this is scary and amazing stuff. ‘Another gripping addition to the extreme-climbing genre… The images here are often dizzying and dazzling. A shot from above Leclerc during the Canmore [in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains] ice-climbing confab shows his feet dangling as he uses only ice axes to hoist himself over an icy shelf. It’s mystery enough that the ice is anchored to the sheer rock, but this… “Filming Marc on this insecure terrain was terrifying,” Mortimer tells us. It is.’—Lisa Kennedy, Variety