Film Review/ THE ALPINIST

For sheer thrills, the opening half hour of The Alpinist, currently streaming on Netflix, delivers. Stunning aerial photography takes us to heights we will never attain, panning slowly over jagged, snow-covered peaks that are almost too high to imagine. And then right there in the middle of everything we spy a tiny red speck punctuating all the white, which turns out to be a jacket worn by the hero of this film. 

Canadian climber Marc-Andre Leclerc, 23, tackles mountains without a rope, ascending as easily as we might climb the stairs to our third-floor attic. It's a sight to see, no doubt about it. But soon enough it becomes a sight we've seen, and then seen again, and again, and again, and it sort of loses its appeal. 

Suddenly we're just watching a very young man live his hippie-dippie life, roaming around the world with his mountain-climbing girlfriend, the two of them camping, sleeping in a tent, meeting up with other nomadic friends and partying til dawn. 

Since this is a documentary, sprinkled throughout are interviews with other climbers recognizable from other climbing movies who are on hand to sing the praises of young Mr. Leclerc. His mother offers stories of his childhood -- how he was a wild child who could never sit still and was different from all the other kids and never wanted an office job. Okay, fine, but it had me wondering what's so very special about that, since my own son had the same qualities and is also very intelligent and special but doesn't climb mountains, instead he teaches kids and adults difficult and esoteric skills. 

Despite the backdrop of awesome beautiful scenery, shot with super-sharp clarity by I'm guessing some very expensive drones, The Alpinist gets us wondering how these athletic 20-something ruffians differ from a group of homeless people who also weather the elements, surviving outdoors year-round in all sorts of weather, contributing nothing to society but not hurting anyone, yet they are objects of our scorn instead of our adulation. Let's see some movies about some of them.

Still, if you keep watching, there are surprises ahead. I can't say more.