Man on Wire

My choice for favorite documentary of 2008 (to be fair, I haven't seen that many documentaries in 2008) appears to be coming down to two of the year's best reviewed films, Werner Herzog's Encounters At The End of the World and James Marsh's Man on Wire, which currently stands at a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best reviewed film in the history of the sight. Unless you count the animated Waltz With Bashir, which doesn't open anywhere near me for a few weeks, as a documentary (some do, some don't, I'll wait until I see it to decide), these two are set to form a very solid top two. What I find so interesting about this is that the subject of Man on Wire, high-wire artist Phillipe Petit, seems like someone from an Herzog documentary. He may not be as insane of Timothy Treadwell (Grizzly Man), and his actions would feel out of place in Herzog's world, but his obsession fits in perfectly. After seeing an article on the construction of the world trade center, Petit, who had already walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, knew what he had to do, and his singular obsession began to grow.

Using Thin Blue Line-like reconstructions, archival footage (the film's strongest part) and interviews with Petit and his huge supporting crew, we see him begin his obsession, find the friends and enablers necessary to pull off a job so huge and, finally, we see the heist-like trip to the roof and mid-morning journey across the chasm separating the two iconic buildings. Part of what makes the story so interesting is the fact that it feels like a heist film. Nearly every element of a classic heist film appears as part of their plan (Petit is a fan of the genre). What made this specific heist so appealing to Petit (and the public) was that he managed to do something this exciting and entertaining without the possibility of hurting anyone except himself (unless you count his one friend who was deported). It was an entirely self-sacrificing action which fulfilled his own needs while providing an entirely new and original entertainment for the masses. There was no "why?' to his actions, no real reason, he just knew that it had to be done.

For a film based on a true story with an obvious ending to succeed, it must make us forget what we know and truly care about how that ending came about. Milk was able to do it perfectly, and Man on Wire succeeds just as well. Petit is constantly interviewed throughout the film, and we are fully aware of the fact that he survived, so the heist-like tension that Marsh creates is necessary to keep the audience involved. The reenactments are very well done, and the interviews with Petit and his gang are equally fascinating, providing necessary quick insights into the psyche of a man who would do this, but I wish there had been a bit more archival footage, especially of the walk itself.

While it is clearly on everyone's mind for the entire film, the events of 9/11 are never explicitly mentioned. In an interview with the BBC, Marsh said "What Philippe did was incredibly beautiful...It would be unfair and wrong to infect his story with any mention, discussion or imagery of the Towers being destroyed." At first, I didn't quite agree, but I think this was the right choice. While hearing Petit's thoughts on the attacks would have added a different kind of emotional depth, I think the film is much more poignant as is. Man on Wire serves as a beautiful study of one man's obsession with the towers, and it reminds us of what we lost without forcing anything upon us, which is how this amazing story had to be told.

Rating (out of ****): ****