Man on Wire is stunning; the feats of tightrope walker Philippe Petit will leave you stunned. Director James Marsh's film focuses on Petit's plan to perform a high wire walk between the rooftops of the World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974. The deftly paced story of how he and a team of accomplices achieve this goal is revealed through recollections of those involved and the buildup of excitement is buoyed by awe-inducing footage of previous adventures in the sky (watching Petit lie down on a piece of cable between the towers of Notre Dame in Paris is a religious experience of sorts). In addition to the effect of this beautiful and terrifying footage, the film's pace is aided greatly by Petit's ability to be an interesting talking head. He exhibits the characteristics of a natural storyteller: enthusiasm and a keen sense of how to draw in an audience. His energy, confidence and physical appearance are reminiscent of another charismatic character born for film - Malcolm McDowell's insouciant Alex from A Clockwork Orange - minus the violent streak. To be sure, Man on Wire is worth whatever they're charging for admission.3 of the short films in Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno series screened the same evening. Each film is devoted to the sexual practices of different insects (I saw flies, snails and spiders) and stars Rossellini as the insect. They came off better than the unusual premise would seem to allow for thanks to her deadpan delivery and the visual style employed. Humourous, educational and strange. More Hot Docs roundup is on the way. Stay tuned.
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