Man on Wire (2008)
Man on Wire (2008) 7/10
It is great to know that in an era of lifelike and increasingly indiscriminate use of CGI, sometimes the most evocative, mesmerizing and transcendental imagery comes from authentic still pictures. Man on Wire, already touted to be a strong contender for the best doc Oscar of the Year, is quite simply about a wirewalker who wants to string a cable across the World Trade Center and walk across it. It is as simple as that but the film dazzles with simply stunning imagery. This may be one of the few times when still imagery kicks the ass of all those Hollywood created CGI sequence. I kid you not when I say that the single best scene I have watched this whole year comes from Man on Wire. The documentary mixes re-enactments, talking head interviews and fantastic archival footage which the director fashions into a heist-like film. It is a plot at once audacious and awe-inspiring. And giving added poignancy to the film is the backdrop of the World Trade Center, and the knowledge that this audacious, insane feat will never be replicated ever again. It gives a lens into 1970s America, with a heartbreakingly moving portrait of the WTC being built. Man on Wire is a film that in a vacuum is a solidly crafted documentary, but when seen in the context of 9/11, transforms into something altogether cathartic. As an ode to the WTC and to the perseverance of man, Man on Wire is a must watch and possibly the year’s best documentary.
