I had been patiently waiting to see this documentary film since the US release in September last year. It was finally released on the big screen in Australia this week.

The film documents, one of the world's top rock climbers, Alex Honnold's 8+ year fascination (maybe obsession) with El Capitan, the famous big wall in Yosemite national park in the USA and his attempt to become the first person to free solo (aka without ropes or safety equipment ) the 975 metres (3200 feet) rock face of El Capitan.

The film is directed by his long time friend and climbing buddy, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vaserhelyi.

The film perfectly captures the fear and ever present danger of one wrong move would lead to Honnold's death. His preparation is meticulous from climbing the granite rock face of El Capitan 40+ times (with ropes) and regular entries in his climbing journal.

The film showcases his developing relationship with his girlfriend, Sanni McCandless with complexities and dangers for the passion, focus and dedication to his professional craft of free soloing.

A side note to the story is how Jimmy and his filmmaking team will capture footage of Alex climbing without impacting or distracting his concentration.

Free Solo beautifully captures the breathtaking feat, leaving you with sweaty palms despite knowing the outcome and the film is truly worthy of its nomination for this year's Academy award for best documentary.