The man who rose to great heights

The Alpinist (E, 92 mins) Directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen Reviewed by

HJames Croot ★★★★

e’s the climber who even left Alex Honnold in awe. The young man who dared to break the Free Solo star’s speed record on Canada’s Grand Wall by two minutes (only to see that mark obliterated by Honnold a year later), the Squamish, British Columbia-born daredevil who eschewed the limelight (no social media posting of his exploits for him).

Heck, as his long-term girlfriend and fellow climbing enthusiast Brette Harrington recounts, MarcAndre Leclerc once had a phone, but it was ‘‘stolen by a wild fox when he put it in a bag with smoked salmon’’.

It’s her accounts that provide the most insight into the weird and wonderful world of the ‘‘super socially awkward’’, fearless, boldest alpinist of his generation in Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen’s equal parts fascinating and frightening documentary.

The pair spent two years following the early 20-something Leclerc, trying to document his amazing ascents and wild adventures.

What they capture is nothing short of terrifying as the man with David Hasselhoff’s hair and Evil Knievel’s daring scrapes and occasionally appears to stumble his way, not only up sheer rockfaces, but also precarious ice sheets.

At one point, you can even see daylight between the two.

And unlike Honnold, as documented in the award-winning Free Solo, he’s not one for meticulous planning.

Rather than rehearse a route, he prefers to figure it out on the fly, a decision described by some here as ‘‘a deadly game’’.

Also a fan of keeping himself light and nimble, Leclerc tended to only carry a small backpack at most, leaving out any additional food or a sleeping bag.

Clearly a labour of love for Mortimer and Rosen, The Alpinist documents what a challenging film it was to make.

Not only is there some breathtaking vertiginous footage, but keeping up with Leclerc was very much a frustrating, full-time occupation.

What do you do when the subject of your movie disappears for months without telling you where he is and won’t answer your calls, even though you gave him a cellphone for that very purpose?

In the film-making duo’s case, it allows them to flesh out their

portrait of the complicated climber via the likes of Harrington and Leclerc’s hula-hooping compadre Hevy Duty and use their own storied history of documenting climbing to trace its rise from a ‘‘rogue activity for misfits and vagabonds’’ to one conducted by ‘‘athletes with armies of social media followers’’.

But while that all offers plenty of intriguing insights, it’s the footage of the man who thought that kindergarten was the most awesome part of his schooling and lived in a stairwell for years that really stays with you.

While perhaps a more cautionary tale than Free Solo, The Alpinist will leave you equally, if not more, awestruck (and decidedly anxious) by Leclerc’s exploits.

The Alpinist is screening now in select cinemas.