Dawn Wall was enthusiastically-received in its North American Premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival where it received Audience Award in the Documentary Spotlight Competition. Dawn Wall is transfixing as we watch as two climbers, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgensen, attempt the near impossible. They attempt to free style climb the vertical 3000-foot granite rock face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. They test the boundaries of their skills and endurance and even the bounds of what is humanly possible. This isn't really just a sports film. When you learn the hurdles that Tommy Caldwell had to overcome you realize that it is an absolutely remarkable human story. The audience is literally hanging on the side of the mountain with Tommy and Kevin as they scale the mountain. The filmmakers actually scaled the mountain with them in order to film them. The film is beautiful edited and the drama is intense. Although the ending is somewhat predictable, the magic is all in the journey they are taking. Highly recommended.
