The Free Man

Filmmaker Toa Fraser's documentary focuses on Jossi Wells, a freestyle skier who represented New Zealand at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Wells teams up with the Flying Frenchies, a group of athletes who stage astonishing performance stunts at extreme altitudes—and only occasionally wear safety harnesses. Wells's experience is framed as both a celebration of physical daring and as an existential debate on what it means to jettison fears and become a truly free person in a world ruled by limitations (Wells joins the Flying Frenchies after surviving a serious skiing accident). To its credit, the film offers a dazzling view of the extreme sports team at work and play high atop the French Alps, and one can't help but be impressed with their ability to seemingly defy gravity for the sake of applause and admiration—one segment features a tightrope walk across a wire suspended between two hot air balloons that is utterly breathtaking to behold. But the film also tends to get bogged down in endless philosophical ruminations on what it means to be truly living. Extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)