October is the time for scary movies and indulging in shameless amounts of candy. Certainly one of my favorite pastimes. But, just for today instead of hitting play on The Conjuring or Nightmare on Elm Street, head out to the theaters for an encore one-night showing of The Dawn Wall, where you’ll experience a different kind of fear and thrill.
Don’t worry, you can still eat an absurd amount of candy.
This award-winning documentary follows the captivating and thrilling story of rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson as they attempt to climb what is considered the most difficult climb in the world, the sheer vertical 3,000-foot rock face in California’s Yosemite National Park: the Dawn Wall.
Through moving interviews and astounding climbing footage, you learn the incredible story of Tommy Caldwell and the reason behind Caldwell’s obsession and conviction to accomplish this nearly impossible ascent.
Caldwell began climbing when he was just six, becoming a climbing prodigy when he was in his teens winning one climbing competition after another. At the age of 22, he was taken hostage by rebels in Kyrgyzstan and shortly after returning from that terrifying experience, lost a finger in a home accident. But it was after Caldwell’s marriage fell apart when he decidedly channeled his pain and set his sights and determination on conquering the impossible.
Director of The Dawn Wall, Josh Lowell, recalls, “He was a thousand feet up, taking huge falls, trying insane moves, like an 8 foot sideways leap through the air from hold to hold. He seemed like a man possessed, on a mission that was obviously impossible and I had the sense that for Tommy, the idea of The Dawn Wall was about much more than the climb itself.”
The Dawn Wall is aptly named as it is the first part of the El Capitan mountain to be bathed in light when the sun rises. And as beautiful as the rock face is, this daunting section of the mountain was thought nearly impossible and too dangerous to free climb. Caldwell and his climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson spent six years plotting how they could possibly climb the Dawn Wall and in 2015 made the attempt drawing an international media frenzy. They lived on the cliff for weeks with an entire crew helping by bringing them food and supplies while they prepared to make this impossible climb.
Craziness.
The film, by Red Bull Media House in association with Sender Films, won the South by Southwest Audience Award earlier this year followed by a one-night theatrical release in over 600 theaters that brought together almost 70,000 people across the country in one single night. And because The Dawn Wall received such a positive response, tonight only, there will be a nationwide encore screening of this extraordinary story.
The theaters in Minneapolis showing the encore screening of The Dawn Wall tonight, Monday, October 8th are:
- AMC Eden Prairie 18 (8251 Flying Cloud Drive, #4000, Eden Prairie, MN)
- AMC Rosedale 14 (850 Rosedale Center, Roseville, MN)
- AMC Southdale Megastar 16 (400 Southdale Center, Edina, MN)
- AMC Arbor Lakes Megastar 16 (12575 Elm Creek Blvd N, Maple Grove, MN)
- AMC Apple Valley 15 (15630 Cedar Ave S, Apple Valley, MN)
- Emagine Willow Creek (9900 Shelard Pkwy, Plymouth, MN)
- Elk River 17 (570 Freeport Ave NW, Elk River, MN)
- Parkwood 18 Theatre (1533 Frontage Rd N, Waite Park, MN)
- Oakdale Cinema (5677 Hadley Ave N, Saint Paul, MN)
- Regal Eagan 16 (2055 Cliff Road, Eagan, MN)
It’s gotten rave reviews with an unprecedented 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. (I didn’t even know that was possible.) You’re bound to come away from this film inspired and amazed at what human perseverance and willpower can accomplish. Then after, you can resume your spooky movie marathon.
Get a sneak peek and watch The Dawn Wall trailer:
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