The Alpinist

source: The Alpinist

My heart literally aches that the world has lost someone as unique as Marc. I was super amazed at the upbringing he received and having a truly wonderful mother. To have lived with such free abandon is what most of us are so afraid of. Just like his mom said about imaging what you would do if you were freed of your limitations...he did that for us. I was truly moved by such a stunning tribute to this man.

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 .

...others do it because they're just incapable of facing their interior ones. After watching this documentary I am not so sure about the motivations of this guy.

Going to the theater without knowing who he is. I have watched Free Solo a few years ago and loved this type of documentary. MA is such a free spirit individual. He didn't care about the money or fame, he just wanted to enjoy what he loved to do... climbing. It is nice to watch a documentary with narration on the side. Seeing all these beautiful exciting adventure he took me with on the screen.... so breathtaking but scary at the same time. It was a big shocker at the end of the movie...... since I didn't know who he is, of course I didn't know about the tragic accident. I am so glad he agreed to be feature in this film so that we can remember & recognize what the accomplishments he had done! RIP.

The Alpinist is a fascinating documentary that shows rare footage of beautiful landscapes and will either inspire you to chase your dreams or make you afraid of heights. Whichever way you take it, the movie is well worth the watch. The Alpinist follows the 23-year-old mountain climber, Marc-Andre Leclerc, who is a pioneer of solo climbing and has broken countless records. In the documentary, you see all his astonishing climbs and travels around the world and meet the meaningful people who are in Marc-Andre's life. There are many remarkable factors about the movie. The first thing to mention is the cinematography which is mind blowing! The angles and the positions of the camera capture the climbing so perfectly that you feel as if you are climbing right along with Marc-Andre. You feel so connected to Marc-Andre that you feel like you've known him forever. Kudos to directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen and their crew. The way they captured this incredible footage is remarkable, because as you watch the film, you learn how elusive Marc-Andre Leclerc can be. The messages of this film are to follow your passions and to have courage, while also understanding the risks of what you are doing. There is some profanity, some wounds are shown, and the use of drugs. If you are afraid of heights, I would definitely not recommend this. I give The Alpinist 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It opens in theaters September 10, 2021. Katherine S, KIDS FIRST!

In another life time, I worked for the Utah bank that both helped attract the 2002 Winter Olympics and make the state a center of extreme sports. I heard about the catastrophic falls and the near misses from men and women who survived them. I liked how crazy but calm the climbers were. "Alpinism" is man against mountain. An Alpinist doesn't conquer a mountain. He conquers himself. He doesn't climb for the glory and he doesn't climb for the money. He climbs because he HAS to climb. Marc-Andre Leclerc is the goofy and amiable Canadian kid who is the subject of the movie. He isn't well known outside the community of his sport, but, for those who follow it, he's a rare combination of a genius and magician. While others fall all over themselves fawning over his bravery and technical skills as he climbs a wall of "melting ice, he chuckles over his success with, "It was super fun. Yeah." Really? Because to me, your "super fun" looks like walking on air. It seems impossible. You don't have to like extreme sports, mountain life, etc. To love this film. You just have to appreciate the beauty of this planet and the adventure it is to live on it. Let the gorgeous cinematography, the astonishing clips of the climbs and the ebullience of Leclerc and his admirers take you with them. The most important thing a human being can do is be true to himself. Leclerc really knows how. He climbs alone because he knows how dangerous it is, and he doesn't want to hurt anyone else. Now, the tough part. What the hell was his mother thinking when she encouraged his high risk taking behavior? ADHD isn't a death sentence. It's a warning that the person who has it needs extra help learning how to take care of himself, because he isn't the best judge about what is good for him. Encouraging him to do what he wanted to do (without helping him learn better decision making skills) may sound like inspirational parenting, BUT LOOK HOW IT TURNED OUT. The documentary avoids interviews with people who didn't consider Leclerc inspirational. It only asks for comments from other people who are involved in high risk, extreme sports. Surely, someone who knew this kid understood the difference between "brave" and "suicidal," but it wasn't his mother or the many friends who seemed to have encouraged what turned out to be lunacy,

It's fun to think the possibility exists that any of us can just up and jet around the world, having all the adventures that our hearts desire. This film could lead one to believe that Marc-Andre and his gf (more on her in a minute) were just two poor, happy hippies whose passions centered around mountain climbing. Except they weren't. Or at least, she wasn't. Brette Harrington went to a boarding school (a high school, mind you) in the U. S. with a $60,000 a year tuition. Who is this girl? Who is her family? Could you afford this for your kid? I couldn't. No, this is reserved for the elite. Marc-Andre was musically inclined and bilingual at the very least. Again, doesn't fit the profile of some broke, hitchhiking mountain climber afflicted with ADHD, does it? I guess we'll never know, unless someone makes a bio about who these people REALLY are. I'd be interested in watching that.

Best movie I've seen in a long time. Wowzers. Amazing filming.

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.