Man on Wire

Man on Wire is a documentary about "the artistic crime of the century." The documentary centers around the exploits of Phillip Petit, an accomplished street performer, who in 1974 strung a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center and proceeded to walk, kneel, frolic, and lay upon said wire.

Truth be told, Kinsey and I don't watch a lot of documentaries. I think we probably saw three last year (Born Into Brothels, In The Family, and Grizzly Man). I'm used to talking about works of fiction. But I think Man on Wire transcends that label of "documentary." It is easily the most entertaining, most suspenseful, and best film I've seen so far this year.

A documentary has to take advantage of the interesting qualities of its characters and story. A person like Phillip is perfect for a documentary because he's energetic, well-spoken, and above all, sincere. And that's something thats true of all the players in this caper. You can see on their faces and hear in their voices how this event changed their lives. You can see that joy, and you, as a viewer, reciprocate it. When one of Phillip's friends cries tears of joy over what they had accomplished, it moved me like no other moment this year.

Now, documentaries are visual arts, and this film has amazing visuals. Unfortunately, there isn't any video of Phillip walking between the two towers, but there are mindboggling photos. And there's one that's particularly striking. It's a photo of Phillip, suspended between the two towers of the WTC, and there's a 747 framed in the background. It's at that point that you realize that this is a film about an event that took place at the World Trade Center and it doesn't even mention 9/11. The film simply lets you marvel at the towers and what happened there.

Kinsey: 4.5 stars

Wade: 5 stars