Sydney Film Festival Review - Skywalkers: A Love Story

 

“Our full potential is on the other side of fear”

Dizzying, death-defying and determined, Skywalkers: A Love Story is a tense and thrilling documentary recording the efforts of rooftop climbers Angela and Vanya to scale the second highest building in the world in pursuit of their daredevil dreams, with stunning IMAX sequences, and vertigo-inducing visuals, paired with a grounded love story focused on trust, and holding each other up so neither falls. 

Discussion Points:

My heart rate was elevated almost perpetually during the entire runtime of this enthralling and anxiety-inducing documentary. I’m not great with heights at the best of times, so seeing two insane people climb to the top of some of the worlds tallest structures… AND THEN DO ACROBATIC PHOTOSHOOTS!!! Absolutely nuts! But as high-flying and death-defying as the climbs and visuals are, the story remains grounded in the relationship of Angela and Vanya. Their deep love for their art and each other both brings unity and causes tension. They push each other to be their best, but also limit one another out of fear of something going awry. Thankfully, whilst the sport/art form has suffered plenty of tragedies, Skywalkers doesn’t feature any, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive, thrilling and nerve wracking to watch them evade security and scale structure after structure until their magnum opus - the Merdeka 118 which is 678.9 m (2,227 ft) tall! The mixture of archival footage, drone footage, and handheld GoPro footage provides multiple angles to show both the intimacy and danger, contrasting the beautiful city vista backdrops. Seeing this in IMAX was an absolute treat! because it definitely won’t be as spectacular at home on Netflix. Ultimately, Skywalkers: A Love Story is a documentary thriller, a heist caper, and a deeply moving romance that will leave you on the edge of your seat, light headed and heart warmed.