Don't worry, this hasn't changed into a film review blog but MAN ON WIRE deserves a special mention. Although Slumdog Millionaire got most of the glory, and I liked Burn After Reading, this Oscar winning documentary is my film of the year.
It's the story of Philippe Petit, a French high wire artist, who gained fame for his walk between the World Trade Canter Twin Towers, New York City, in 1974. The events leading up to that NYPD offence notice, uniquely titled "MAN ON WIRE", are told with a combination of documentary film, photography and re-enactments of the "break in".
It is narrated by Philippe and his co-conspirators and you see the impact, good and bad, his dream had on all involved. There is also extensive archive footage from the construction of the Twin Towers as Philippe plans his "artistic crime of the century".
But that's not what makes it special. Philippe's dream to walk the towers began when he saw an article announcing the World Trade Centre project in a French newspaper. He watched, waited, planned and practised until the tower construction had progressed enough, but was not completed, for the walk to be possible. It's no secret, or plot spoiler, that his dream became a reality (look at the poster!) but that in no way diminishes the impact of the movie.
MAN ON WIRE is not a film about a walk. It's the story of a mans determination to realise his dream. What makes it surreal are the subsequent events which mean it can never be repeated.
A dream, realised, now only memories captured in a remarkable film.
