Philippe Petit and His Passion

[Kristen Aloysius]

Man on Wire explores the story behind Philippe Petit’s monumental walk between the Twin Towers. The passion that Petit had for tightrope walking, specifically towards his dream of a high-wire walk between the Twin Towers as shown in the film, was unparalleled and inspiring. At one point Annie, Petit’s friend and former girlfriend, states that it almost seemed as if the buildings were made specifically for him to walk and conquer. The narrative style of the film helped recreate a sense of wonder from Petit’s walk within the audience while also serving as a reflection on dreams and ambition. Through its multidimensional storytelling, the film captured how important Petit’s friends were in making his dreams a reality. As much as the walk was Philippe’s, it was also theirs. In focusing the film on Petit’s passion, several questions were raised in regard to aspirations. On one hand, the lengths that Petit goes to in order to essentially create a piece of art and a collective memory among New Yorkers highlight the beauty in dreaming and being ambitious. At the same time, surrendering the relationships he had with the people who helped realize his dream to the whirlwind that his life becomes after his walk depict the danger in passion. Through the beauty in what Petit did, we are left wondering whether all-encompassing aspirations are worth risking everything for and whether the road to achieving a dream can ever be perfect.
In his song “Le Funambule,” Gérard Lenorman captures the nature of Petit’s passion and his perception of dreams as he sings, “Tout au-dessus de la grande ville, en équilibre sur mon fil, j’ai le vertige en regardant le ciel…je sais que seuls les fous et les oiseaux ont des ailes dans le dos”(which roughly translates to “Above the big city, balancing on my wire, I feel dizzy looking at the sky… I know that only fools and birds have wings in their back”)

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