One of the more dangerous documentaries this year, but so immensely fascinating at the same time. Of course, the easy comparison to Skywalkers: A love Story is man On Wire, except I felt this renegade filmmaking style. getting the opportunity to explore artists on the fringe, who what they are doing is dangerous, and technically illegal. It sent me back to Exit Through The Gift Shop, which is one of my favorite documentaries of all time.
This bold crew follows two extreme climbers, who seek to get to the highest of heights. they aren’t interested in Everest, but they would have totally joined Tom cruise for that Burg Khalifa stunt in the Mission Impossible franchise. Getting to places you aren’t supposed to be, the tops of buildings, getting past the access and standing on a ledge for an epic selfie. Our two artists are so good, it actually becomes their job, as they get endorsement deals thanks to their social media followings. What starts out as a business opportunity really expands into a love story, as two people who have the same drive and rush end up needing each other. But, will they survive this documentary?
Your trigger warning, without spoilers, is the filmmakers want you to know how dangerous this is, so they use footage of other less lucky climbers falling (basically to their death). No impact, but you know no one survives a fall from that height. This is exactly the kind of film I would have skipped in theatres and waited for home release back in the day. I did it with The Walk, the Joseph Gordon Levitt film. I’m not a fan of heights. Mission Impossible was harrowing enough for me.
But the story here is really well told, and I came to like these two rascals. The audio description, done by Post House, and narrated by Jonathan Bradley, was well done. There’s a really simple scene where one of them is just washing their hands, getting a little drink, and the attention to detail in such a mundane moment was so good. I enjoyed this track, and I enjoyed the movie.
I think Exit Through The Gift Shop is probably still the better film, but this is certainly a look into two people living on the edge of society, and what that means for their life and relationship.
Final Grade: A-