'There Is No Why': The Unbearable Lightness of Robert Zemeckis

Screenshot via Sony Pictures Entertainment / Youtube

At one point in the new film The Walk, high-wire walker Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is asked, after successfully walking a tightrope strung between the two towers of the World Trade Center, why he chose to perform such a dangerous, death-defying act. His answer: “There is no ‘why.’ I just look for a place to hang my wire, and when I find it, I put it there.”

There are a couple of ways you could take this statement. One is a thrilling feeling of limitless possibility. The other is a little more disconcerting: that there was no deeper meaning; Petit simply did it because, well, why not?

Read the Full Article

An image of the November 2026 issue of Sojourners, titled "Face to Face." It features George Lakey on the cover
To continue reading this article — and get full access to all our magazine content — subscribe now for as little as $5.95. Your subscription helps sustain our nonprofit journalism and allows us to pay authors for their terrific work! Thank you for your support.
Subscribe Now!