FREE SOLO
Recommended. The Oscar was well-deserved. It's phenomenal. Only 1% of climbers solo mountains without a line and most have died - typically in their 30s, sometimes 40s so the documentary about Alex Honnold is gripping like a thriller. He has soloed more than a thousand times. He earns about as much as a good dentist does. He's vegetarian mostly for environmental reasons - he introduced himself to vegetables one by one when he was 24. He donates 1/3 of his profits to his foundation which sets up solar panels in African places with no access to electric power. He's tall, slender, pure muscles without fat, long limbs. Perfectly agile too. He travels the world but, apart from giving talks, he climbs, treats his injuries and climbs again nevertheless. He's strongly focused: a girlfriend is good if she "doesn't take much space" in the van he dwells in. Occasional funny comments like this one take some weight off the life and death topic. His amygdala registered no emotions during an MRI scan which means he needs extra stimuli to feel something. That makes him the world's solo climber most likely to fall off a slope and crash. My palms got sweaty at the finale.
KESARI
Recommended. I was told that at the first screening 500 people were present, some were even standing. The Punjabi blockbuster pulls all the right strings: national pride, romantic sentiments, laughter and tears. Without even a risk of harming an animal since the fighting roosters are digital. The tactical ploys are ingenious. You don't need to be Punjabi or even Indian to love the depicted story. "Killing destroys the enemy. Kindness destroys the enmity itself." After the movie I'm also in two minds about Britain meddling into India historically. Caste and gender equality is emphasised too. Obligatory songs and chants are there as well. You barely notice when the 2.5 hours pass.
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