From climbing the Himalayas to diving into blue holes in the Red Sea, extreme athletes take many calculated risks that sometimes result in no return.
Who takes on these challenges and why? The subject has proven fascinating to filmmakers. Fortunately, there is no shortage of documentaries about these people who risk death to earn a living. Here’s our guide to the best documentaries about extreme athletes.
1. Free Solo (2018)
Rock climber Alex Honnold attempts the impossible free solo: Climb El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, without ropes or safety equipment. This documentary delves into Honnold’s mind as well as his brain, exploring what drives someone to take on such crazy challenges. Hint: Irregularities in the amygdala may be involved.
Director Jimmy Chin openly wrestles with what it means to film Honnold climbing, potentially dying on camera. It feels like these guys aren’t taking anything lightly, and you can’t help but be inspired by both Honnold and the filmmakers.
2. Alpinist (2021)
Marc-Andre Leclerc, the enigmatic young alpinist known for climbing some of the world’s most dangerous peaks solo, avoids the spotlight despite agreeing to climb them. Unlike many of his contemporaries who document their climbs on social media, Leclerc doesn’t seek any external recognition.As the film moves towards a harrowing climax, the filmmakers alpinist I’m having a hard time getting to the subject because he’s been missing for months.
Breathtaking shots of Leclerc’s winter climbs get the heart racing, but insights from his inner circle ground the documentary. This extraordinary athlete and seeker will be remembered long after many. Don’t read anything else about the movie before seeing it.
3. Icarus (2017)
Brian Fogel’s chance investigation into the Russian Olympic doping scandal has become one of the best documentaries in recent years. Vogel set out solely to prove that there were holes in the testing regime for athletes in a general sense, and involved himself with Grigory Rodchenkov, a Russian scientist who runs Russia’s anti-doping laboratory. become.
As the two got to know each other better, Rodchenkov revealed that Russian athletes were systematically using banned performance-enhancing drugs on an alarming scale. Those who want to understand the Putin regime and how its criminal activities extend to issues large and small need look no further. Icarus.
4. Deepest Breath (2023)
Laura McGann documentary deepest breath Follow freediver Alessia Zecchini as she attempts to break a world record. Her boyfriend, safety diver Steve Keenan, helps Alessia in her quest as she advances further and crosses the 100 meter mark. This sport gives you a visceral fear that even BASE jumping doesn’t. The divers disappear into the darkness below, sometimes reappearing disconcertingly late, and sometimes not at all. After watching this movie, many people may want to stay in the shallow end of the pool for a while.
5. River Runner (2021)
Scott Lindgren won’t stop until he conquers the world’s scariest rivers in a kayak. The adrenaline junkie’s pursuit takes him to Central Asia, where he aims to become the first kayaker to tackle a series of rivers flowing from Tibet. Then a more mundane problem hits him: cancer.
Directed by Rush Sturgess, the documentary shifts from man vs. nature to Lindgren’s inner conflict after he is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Soon, the film turns outward again to show him tackling life the only way he knows how: by kayaking. river runner It provides action shots with an introspective element.
6. Sunshine Superman (2014)
“Jumping out of a plane gets boring after a while,” Karl Bönisch, the inventor of the term BASE jumping, must have thought. This acronym stands for Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth, characteristics that some people choose to jump with a parachute to.
sunshine superman, directed by Mahler Strauch, this film about Boenisch and his relationship with his wife Jean offers the dizzying highs and tragic lows of a daredevil’s life with vintage 16mm eye candy.Watch Alex Honnold climb El Capitan free soloand watch Karl Beinisch take the plunge in this movie.
7. Senna (2010)
Racing driver Ayrton Senna, much like rock climber Alex Honnold, started in go-karts and went on to win the F1 championship.asif kapadia movies Senna It chronicles the rivalry between the charismatic champion and driver Alain Prost, as well as his conflicts with the sport’s authorities. Coupled with an eerie score by Antonio Pinto (also from Senna’s native Brazil), this tightly paced documentary makes you wonder if pushing the limits to the max is ultimately worth it.
8. McConkey (2013)
When Shane McConkie dons a wingsuit and jumps off a cliff on skis, others sweat just thinking about it.documentary mcconkey It covers his unusual life, from his origins as the son of a pioneering extreme skier, to the development of the reverse sidecut ski, to his fateful BASE jumping adventure. Not many people live the way McConkie does. After watching this documentary, prepare to be heartbroken with dissatisfaction with modern life.
9. 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
Throughout the history of mountaineering, the laurels have tended to go primarily to European-centric rosters of athletes, while the local guides they rely on have been ignored.in the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nimsu” Purja sets out to right this injustice with his cheerful personality and no trace of malice. Purja aims to break a seven-year record in seven months by climbing 14 mountains on Earth over 8,000 meters.
The former British Army Special Forces member – he served in the famous Gurkha Brigade – has an ethereal level of patience, which he has proven time and time again. But his irrepressible optimism plays an equal role in his success.
10. Touching the Void (2003)
It combines interviews and reenactments to create a classic docu-drama. touch the void It has an inspiring yet eerie atmosphere, like an actual void buried somewhere. The film tells the story of two men, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who go mountain climbing in the mid-1980s. After completing a pioneering ascent of the western face of Siula Grande in Peru, everything goes horribly wrong on the way down and the pair experience what the Guardian describes as “the most successful British documentary of all time”. did.
11. Man on Wire (2008)
Anyone who grew up in New York City has heard the legend of Philippe Petit, the man who walked the tightrope between the Twin Towers in 1974. man on wire The film frames the feat in heist movie tropes and shows how Petit and his accomplices planned to carry out the highly illegal feat. The film’s title refers to how the police mentioned the incident in their reports. Based on Petit’s book published the year after 9/11, man on wire It has a special emotion. Petit’s unique sight stays with you long after the credits have finished.
12. Pumping Iron (1977)
Before movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared. pumping iron In 1975, he competed in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition sponsored by the former Governor of California, focusing on his rivalry with fellow strongman Lou Ferrigno. This classic sports documentary helped push bodybuilding out of the circus tent and into the mainstream.
