Travel is still in a pandemic funk. And that means the safest way to settle our wanderlust is virtual. Fortunately there are some great new adventure films that you can watch from home or in your local theaters. Want to go rock climbing in Arizona? How about scaling some of North America’s most dangerous summits in the Canadian Rockies? Or maybe on a death-defying underwater rescue mission in Thailand? We’ve got you covered.
The Rescue
The latest film from Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the Oscar-winning directors of Free Solo, dives deep into the 2018 Thailand cave rescue that captured the world’s attention for 18 gripping days. 10,000 people assembled in an impossible mission to save a soccer team 1-mile underground, stranded on a limestone shelf in a flooded cave. Vasarhelyi and Chin grapple with the risks rescuers had to undertake for the mission. This tension-filled movie is a trip to a world you can only hope you never have to experience in real life. In theaters now. Watch the trailer here:
The Alpinist
If you watched Free Solo and the footage of Alex Honnold scaling El Capitan without a rope made you squirm in your seat, then brace yourself for this new film from the creators of the acclaimed The Dawn Wall. In The Alpinist, director Peter Mortimer follows the late Marc-André Leclerc, a Canadian alpinist who set a precedent for the most daring winter mountain ascents, often—and unthinkably—done without a rope or rehearsal. Mortimer does his best to keep up in this inspiring and gut-wrenching movie about a young man chasing adventure in its purest form. In theaters now. Watch the trailer here:
They/Them
This new movie from Patagonia follows up-and-coming rock climber Lor Sabourin, a trans climber exploring their identity while attempting a nail-biting ascent in the sandstone canyons of Arizona. This important film is a beacon for those struggling with gender identity, eating disorders, body dysphoria, self-harm and trauma. Sabourin’s journey from lost soul to elite athlete is authentic, emotional and inspiring. But as They/Them makes clear, the fight for trans and nonbinary inclusion is far from over. Watch the film online for free:
