Man on Wire
Some evenings we don't know what to do, ie. watch, so I sometimes poke around hulu to see what's on, or see if there are any appealing recommendations on Film Affinity.
The other night I was looking at Rotten Tomatoes' DVD ratings and found their Best Of section.
There was one movie there, with 100% of all 132 reviews giving it a favorable review.
It was called Man on Wire and I decided I had to see it.
It must have gotten reviews and awards, but I don't pay attention to most of that stuff since it's so overloaded with actors fawning over each other, and I don't recall ever having heard if it.
But I recommend it.
It isn't flashy, and in that way is more European, I suppose, than most movies. The technique of storytelling is standard mix of archival footage with present-day interviews. Although that part is not really standard given that there is so much archival footage. It is remarakable that this group of people documented themselves so much in the early 70s. Now, with digital video, it is common for people to record seemingly every waking minute of their lives, but back then it required film, which had to be developed at considerable expense.
But the method of telling the story is not special. What is special is that the filmmakers don't seem to ever stumble; they don't rush and they don't dawdle - so that every minute of the film is worth watching. There are very few movies that actually hold my attention throughout, and this is one of those.
Also, the story itself inspired me. I have known a number of artists and pseudo-artists, but the main guy in Man on Wire seems like a true artist, who is singularly devoted to his craft. He seemed less concerned about the statement he was making than some of his colleagues were, but that doesn't matter.
The movie didn't make me want to walk on tightropes, but it did remind me that if you really want to do something, your chances of success may be much higher than you might think.