National tragedies are a touchy subject when it comes to filmmaking. If the movie is made too soon, it can seriously offend people. If it’s made too late, the relevance may fade. It’s hit or miss in terms of controversy. The following movies were released six months, five years and six years after 9/11, respectively, and exemplify topical filmmaking at its finest.
 
“9/11” – released March 10, 2002
Documentaries sometimes have the unfortunate tendency to be boring. However, this one is anything but.
Accidently captured by two French brothers, Jules and Gedeon Naudet, the film is probably the most accurate account of what happened around the Twin Towers on Sept. 11.
The brothers were supposed to follow a new firefighter, Tony Benetatos, as he went through his nine-month probationary period. Instead, they captured all of the events of Sept. 11 on film. Jules Naudet was actually inside of Tower 1 when Tower 2 collapsed. While he was in the building, his brother was filming the reactions of firefighters and civilians around the tower whose faces were flushed with awe and disbelief.
 
“United 93” – released April 28, 2006
Heroism, sacrifice and the courage to stand up against oppression are the themes in this critically acclaimed film.
For the 44 people aboard United Flight 93 the morning of Sept. 11, this would be the end of their lives. And, as many know, they went out swinging, attempting to regain control of the doomed aircraft. In this film, the action cuts back and forth between several air-traffic control stations, the terrorists, an Air Force base and the civilians and flight crew aboard the plane.
The movie’s strong point is its focus on how people reacted to seeing the Twin Towers fall that day in 2001. What at first is utter confusion slowly turns into disbelief and then panic. Ground control doesn’t know what to do. Military command centers are locked between engaging suspected hijacked planes and waiting for orders.
The only people who quickly understand the situation are those on the plane. They find a pilot and fight their way to the cockpit. They get so close.
 
“Reign Over Me” – released March 23, 2007
This movie chooses to focus on the emotional aftermath of 9/11 instead of the events of the day. Adam Sandler plays a man who lost his wife, two daughters and dog on that fateful day. Stricken with grief, he quits his job, secludes himself and chooses not to remember anything that happened to him before those events.
It’s a chilling look at the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and what it can do to a person. It also stresses the importance of loved ones in life and the significance of letting go. While this is definitely the most Hollywood-esque film in the group, it gives the smallest understanding of what those who suffered on 9/11 went through over the past years.
 
In general, Hollywood has done a good job with movies surrounding the events of 9/11. The above films only differ from reality in small details. For example, the passengers aboard United 93 didn’t actually grab the flight controls; the terrorists just crashed the plane when they feared the passengers would take control.
But the major similarity among the three films is their depiction of human emotion. They successfully capture the feelings that pervaded America that infamous day, and in the case of “Reign Over Me,” the profound sadness that enveloped the nation for the next few years.
Hopefully filmmakers across the globe will continue to create such moving films about our nation’s greatest tragedy. Ten years after Sept. 11, they still pack an emotional punch.
 
____
Contact Taylor Balkom at [email protected]