And now for something completely different. Most of the recent reviews have been bouldering flicks, but there are other kinds of climbing, and we’re going to the opposite end of the spectrum in our review of Autana (available streaming on Amazon).

Autana is a feature film shot by Alistair Lee documenting the first ascent of the East Face of Cerro Autana, a trip sponsored by Berghaus and made up of British climbers Leo Houlding and Jason Pickles, US climber Sean “Stanley” Leary, and local climbers Yupi Rangel and Alejandro Lamus.  Being an expedition film, its more about the journey as a whole than the climb, which is why the first half of this film is dedicated to the logistics (more on that below) and bushwhacking through harsh jungle.  Once the climbing does get started, its compelling Big Wall hard-man stuff on loose rock, with plenty of gardening, chimneying, and mumbled prayers.  The only thing that takes away from the footage is the editing, at times packed full of disorienting cuts between multiple angles and landscapes in fast rotation.

Now I’m not a huge fan of expedition films (Dodo’s Delight and Queen Maud Land are like, my least favorite Reel Rock segments), but there were moments that captivated my attention in Autana. I admired Leo Holding’s ethical struggle with what he considers a “by fair means” ascent. The beauty of the giant natural cave they used as a basecamp high on the wall is breath-taking. Anyone watching will be viscerally uncomfortable watching the climbers covered in insects in the jungle, and dressing sores generated during a psychotropic drug trip .

Speaking of drug trips, that was (part of) the price of admission to climb the wall, and that leads me to the darker side of this film. The rest of the price were bribes to officials and $10,000 paid to the local community. Climbing on Autana is illegal, full stop, and the film makes no secret of that right from the start.  While a lot of us can parse the difference between legal and moral, there is the dilemma of the payment made to locals – if that becomes the expected price for clandestine access, only the wealthy foreign crowd will get to climb, and less affluent local climbers are effectively locked out. This lead to some anger and some apologies after the fact, but I’ll pass no personal judgement at this time, other than to say it makes parts of the film uncomfortable for those of us straight-laced uptight squares.

Verdict: Expedition Geeks Only. If you’re into climbing for the raw physicality and moving meditation, this won’t be your jam.  If you’re into epic sufferfests into unknown terrain, this one’s for you.