Free Solo | 2019 | PG-13 | – 1.3.5

Why is “Free Solo” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “brief strong language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a couple of hugging and kissing scenes, many scenes of risky adventures with people rock climbing with and without ropes and safety gear, we hear about several people falling and dying while rock climbing, we hear about a man falling twice and sustaining injuries but surviving, and at least 1 F-word, possibly two. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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2019 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature: Filmmakers follow intrepid rock climber Alex Honnold as he plans and practices and eventually climbs Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan, the first person to do so free solo, that is without ropes, harnesses or safety gear. Also with Dierdre Wolownick, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin and Sanni McCandless. Directed by Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. [Running Time: 1:40]

Free Solo SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A man and a woman hug in a few scenes and kiss in a couple of scenes. A man and a woman hold hands in a couple of scenes.
► A woman says that she met a man at a book signing and gave him her number. A man is asked about dating and he later says that he is “trending toward having a girlfriend.” A man talks about wanting to break up with a girlfriend after she dropped his safety rope during a climb, causing him to fall and get injured (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details).
► A man showers and we see his bare chest, abdomen and lower legs. A man is shown wearing shorts and no shirt in several scenes (we see his bare shoulders, chest abdomen and back and in one scene we see the top of his buttocks). We see a preteen boy wearing shorts (his bare chest, abdomen and legs are shown). A woman wears a top that reveals cleavage, bare shoulders and bare back in a few scenes.

Free Solo VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 - A climber falls from a great height, silently; we see a parachute open before impact. A few scenes show climbers slipping and swinging from cables. A man slips during a climb and we see him later wearing a boot and we hear that he has sprained his ankle (he fell 30 feet).
► Many scenes show a man free climbing sheer rock walls to great heights. Several scenes show men climbing using cables and clips for stability and safety. Several scenes show men with cameras filming and taking photos while dangling from cables attached to sheer rock walls as a man climbs nearby (sometimes with ropes and sometimes without). A man stands on a fallen tree and does a yoga pose for a photo.
► We hear that a climber fell during a climb and we see X-rays showing his neck and spine afterward (we hear he has two compression fractures); the climber's rope was dropped by someone with him at the time. People talk about making one little mistake during a climb that could mean certain death. A man makes a remark about some people not having anything to live for. We hear about several climbers falling and being killed (and often we see newspaper headlines about fatal events). People talk about climbing having "no measure for error." A man says, "I feel pooped." A man talks about parts of the world having no access to power. A man talks about climbing with another man being like a vice, like smoking cigarettes. A man talks about having had a dream about a man coming to him and showing him his arm after a fall and that "a bone fell out" of the arm in the dream. A man says, "I don't want to hose everybody."
► A man says that he wanted to break up with a woman after she dropped his rope when he was climbing. A man says that his family was not outwardly loving; they never hugged. A comment is made about vomit.

Free Solo LANGUAGE 5

 - At least 1 F-word (possibly another, but it's not clear), 1 scatological term, 1 anatomical term, 4 mild obscenities, name-calling (scary, weird, nerd, tweaker, nerd, jerk, cranky, melancholic, dorky, loner, beast, brutally honest, crazy, sketchy, invincible, Spock, super-freaky, monomania, stupid, bozo, morose), exclamations (oh, oh my gosh), 1 religious profanity (GD), 4 religious exclamations (e.g. Oh God, Oh My God). | profanity glossary |

Free Solo SUBSTANCE USE

 - A man takes and talks about taking Ibuprofen in several scenes (for pain and swelling). A man talks about climbing being like a vice like smoking cigarettes

Free Solo DISCUSSION TOPICS

 - Solo rock climbing, drive, ambition, lack of parental nurturing, risk taking, personality disorders, Yosemite, El Capitan, heroes, relationships, goals, love, emotional bonds, divorce, being the first to accomplish a feat, excellence, perfection, self-loathing, potential, satisfaction, Asperger syndrome, death of a parent, expressing feelings, addictive behavior, warrior spirit.

Free Solo MESSAGE

 - Facing your fears can help you achieve your goals. Having inactive Amygdala may explain risk-taking behavior.