‘Wild Life’ Review: The Directors Of ‘Free Solo’ Craft A Heartfelt Tribute To The Conservationists Behind Patagonia, The North Face & Esprit [SXSW]
Married in 2013, while Oscar-winning filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin both had been making and shooting films before they met (Chin, “Reel Rock 7,” Vasarhelyi, “Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love“), the power of their collaborative work was instantaneous. 2015’s breathtaking high stakes “Meru” was one of the most harrowing mountain climbing docs ever made up until that point, and they managed to somehow even one-up it with their Oscar-winning doc, the vertiginous and death-defying “Free Solo.” READ MORE: SXSW 2023 Preview: 25 Must-See Film & TV Projects To Watch Since then, the duo has turned their love for the outdoors, the environment and landscape, and their innate curiosity about the natural world into some riveting documentaries, many of them fueled by the same ticking-clock adrenaline of “Meru” and “Free Solo” (see 2021’s Thai Cave rescue doc, “The Rescue”).