Man on Wire

Man on Wire is an engrossing, inspiring, and at times frightening (if you are scared of heights, as I am) documentary, probably the best one I have seen in some time. The film tells the true story of Philippe Petit, a French wire-walker, who crossed eight times on a tight-wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center on Aug. 7, 1974.

Made with with a surprising amount of footage from the planning stages all the way to the actual event, the film also splices in reenacted footage as well as present day interviews. What seems like a straight forward story continues to become more and more interesting as the event draws closer and the stakes are raised to a surprising degree.

I went into this film knowing very little of the subject, just a brief synopsis and seeing the trailer once. I was enraptured from the moment it started, showing a reenactment of how the crew broke into the WTC, is has as much excitement as the best thrillers or bank heist pictures. There is also a beautiful sequence early on in the film showing the beginning stages of the buildings being built, split screen with photos of young Philippe growing up. No voice over, just the images and wonderful music that plays throughout the story. It is moments like this (and there are many more but I really don't want to give anything away) that makes this the wonderful work of art is is.