All alone on the snowy alpine cliff faces, 23-year-old climber Marc-André Leclerc makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error, elite climbers are amazed by his accomplishments, while others worry that he is risking too much. Peter Mortimer’s (The Dawn Wall) documentary is a spectacular character study featuring awe-inspiring, dizzying cinematography not for the faint-hearted.

Reviews

‘It’s an intriguing insight into a particular kind of obsessive drive, and a portrait of a man who, as one of his contemporaries remarked, feels almost too comfortable on the side of a mountain.’
★★★★ Wendy Ide, The Observer

‘As a piece of watch-through-your-fingers outdoors filmmaking, The Alpinist stands right up alongside the Oscar-winning Free Solo.’
★★★★ Philip De Semlyen, Time Out