In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3,000-foot Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
I have never attempted to rock climb. I have, however, scaled the faux-rock indoor wall safely guided by a trainer. I’m not the biggest fan of heights and I’ve always been equally perplexed and impressed at the free climbers of the world. “The Dawn Wall” captures the first attempt by Tommy Caldwell to free climb the nearly impossible El Capitan Wall in Yosemite with his free climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson. In tow is a camera crew of two that keeps the audience immersed and engaged with harrowing and stunning shots of the gorgeous National Park.
Tommy Caldwell is the main focus and was encouraged by his athletic father to be adventurous. At the young age of 16, he entered an amateur climbing event in Utah. After easily winning the contest, he was invited to compete in the professional climb the very next day. Once again, Tommy won and stunned the crowd including his own father. Some years later, he met a girl who shared an equal passion for the sport. They ventured to Kyrgyzstan with a photographer and two other climbers. The country is supposedly a paradise for climbers but unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan. Whilst they were up in their tiny tent portals, 1,000 feet in the air, loud gunshots rang out. The five of them were taken hostage by government rebels. This story alone could’ve filled most documentaries’ running time but it’s just a chapter that is very well told. The hostage story is told through a mix of recovered archival footage, animation, and interviews. The whole ordeal had me on the edge of my seat. There’s much more to the Kyrgyzstan story that I won’t spoil here but it must have been a life-changing experience for everyone involved. After returning and going through more unexpected and disappointing circumstances, Yosemite and the Dawn Wall became his obsession.
With the recent release of “Free Solo,” I wonder how much it will diminish the impact and relevance of Tommy and Jorgeson’s astonishing achievement scaling El Capitan. “Free Solo” captured a solo climb that was faster but I believe he only completed one route. It’s still an amazing achievement for both parties and Tommy would’ve finished sooner if not for being a true climbing companion (for reasons I won’t spoil here). Tommy completed multiple routes, even finding out his own routes on the legendary 3,000-foot wall. I wonder who will be the next climber to smash the record in a faster more extreme manner, seems to be the natural progression in athletic evolution.
Available on VOD November 20th
