By Michael McNulty
Slap a GoPro tag on Base, Richard Parry’s film about base jumping and upload it in full HD to YouTube and you have an 80 minute sponsored video. But, like the content uploaded by thrill seeking jumpers, this film holds an odd fascination that’s not entirely dissatisfying.
A docu-fiction film, Base manages to captures some truly astonishing vistas and some heart stopping, stomach churning free-falling. The parachute that catches this film and slows it down is its plot.
JC (played by Alexander Polli, himself a base jumper who died before the release of this film) and Chico (Carlos Pedro Briceño) are best bros who live to throw themselves off of cliffs, bridges, buildings and dams and when a jump goes wrong JC seeks comfort in the arms of his best mate’s girlfriend, Ash (Julie Dray).
It’s thin stuff and feels like it was tacked on to transform a compilation video of jumps into something more.
The GoPro helmet cams get the blood pumping and the heart racing, capturing the frightening reality of the risk that accompanies the sport. It’s a shame the plot doesn’t offer as much.
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