What’s Wrong With Alex? | Free Solo — The Psychology & Ethics of Extreme Risk | Cinemental Podcast

Описание: In this episode of the Cinemental Podcast, a filmmaker and a psychiatrist break down Free Solo—exploring thrill-seeking behavior, fear, obsession, and the ethics of documentary filmmaking when the stakes are literally life and death.
Is something psychologically wrong with Alex Honnold—or are we misunderstanding what extreme focus and risk really look like?

We dig into Alex Honnold’s mindset, his climbing ability, how fear works in the brain, and whether thrill-seeking is a sign of depression, disorder, or something else entirely. Along the way, we debate whether Free Solo crossed an ethical line by filming an ascent where a single mistake meant death—and what responsibility filmmakers carry when documenting extreme risk.

This conversation goes beyond climbing and into bigger questions about mental health, control, obsession, and why humans are drawn to stories where success and death sit side by side.

02:00 - Topics
03:50 - Sponsor - Pants Pourri
05:13 - Film Summary
06:09 - Psychiatrist's Impressions
07:40 - Filmmaker's Impressions
09:57 - How Good is Alex?
13:52 - Does Alex feel fear?
16:41 - Is Neurodivergence passed down genetically?
19:12 - Can You Measure Fear in an MRI?
22:09 - Train Yourself Away From Fear
25:50 - Is Thrill Seeking A Sign of Depression?
28:50 - What is an Ethical Documentary?
39:22 - Jeff's Ethics
44:03 - Top 5 - Win or Die Movies & TV Shows
49:31 - BONUS Top 5 - Josh's List of Alex' Next Climbs

Cinemental is a podcast where movies meet the mind. Each episode dives beneath the surface of pop culture’s most iconic films and characters to uncover the psychology, emotion, and hidden meaning behind what we watch. Hosted by brothers Jeff and Dr. Josh, Cinemental blends film analysis with real-world mental health insight — exploring why stories stick with us, what they reveal about human behavior, and how cinema can help us understand ourselves. It’s part film school, part therapy session, and all heart — where every movie tells us something about being human.

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