Man On A Wire (#13)

This was the best reviewed and buzziest documentary of the year, so I was pysched when Netflix delivered it so promptly. The film follows the story of Phillipe Pettit, the French high rope walker/performance artist, who famously walked across a wire stretching between the two towers. The story is fascinating, from what inspired the event, to the planning stages, to how the team carries out the incredible feat, to the aftermath. The structure of the documentary is linear for the most part, and the filmmakers use dramatic recreations narrated by the (spoiler) still living Pettit and his team.  It all works to great effect, although Pettit grated on me at times, seeming a little too pleased with himself.  On the other hand the man does do, simply amazing things, and should be pretty pleased with himself.  There are some clear allusions to the hopeful wonder of this event, and the more recent tragic history of the twin towers, although the film never addresses them directly. I can’t decided if that was a positive or a negative.