Lovesusti
The Worst Film Ever
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
Kinley
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Francene Odetta
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
moetif
A very well done film but has the same gaping blindspot that it subtly accuses American society of having. It accuses society for not confronting the reality of the "jumpers," yet commits a far worse affront by not mentioning,even once, the people who were responsible for the horror! The name Osama bin Ladin was mentioned quickly as part of an amalgamation of broadcasts. It is infuriating that even a documentary purporting to shine the light on uncomfortable truths, perpetuates the outrage of not referring to Islamic terrorism. The filmmakers, like the media and politicians in general, do their own reckless airbrushing and whitewashing of history. Wouldn't it be nice if the very people encouraging us to "call a spade a spade" actually practiced their own exhortation!
Michael_Elliott
9/11: The Falling Man (2006) *** (out of 4) Any documentary on 9/11 is going to be hard to watch because no matter how many times you see the images, you still can't quite believe it happened. It's still hard to believe that so many innocent people lost their lives to such a horrendous act. Throughout that day there were thousands of images shown all over the world where everyone saw the heartbreak. Over the upcoming weeks and months there were images shown to show how strong America was. There was one picture that was placed in a newspaper on 9/12/01 that seemed to upset people the most and it was a singular image of a man falling from the tower.That image is the subject of this documentary that tries to identify the man who jumped out the window. The documentary talks about all the controversy that started because of that picture being printed and while watching this film you can't help but wonder if you should really be watching. There's a certain voyeurism nature to seeing someone in this state and the documentary covers both sides of the coin. There's also a strong discussion concerning one man believed to be the person in the image. We hear from his family and we learn how his family hoped it wasn't him due to their religious beliefs surrounding suicide. There are many fascinating topics brought up on the subject.Again, no 9/11 documentary is easy to watch but this here is certainly one of the most disturbing because one has to put themselves in the falling man's place. I mean, select to burn to death or fall hundreds of stories? Not an easy thought and it doesn't make for an easy subject.
jazzpiano-
This documentary was excellently constructed, but is not easy to watch. Sometimes it made me feel a bit sick, sometimes I felt just plain empty. The ambition of the documentary is worthwhile, to find the falling man's identity, and that is what originally got me interested. It was exciting - as exciting as it would be to know who the Unknown Soldier is.But the message at the end of the documentary is what really counts.Some of the interviews with the family members will make you cry, and the raw emotion - the cries of people on the streets of New York watching people jump out the windows is heartbreaking. Hearing the horror inside people's throats is something that makes me shiver, because it is very real.Sometimes this documentary is unbearable, but it was important to watch. It was a tasteful and moving depiction of life and death and I personally found it very poignant.
bob the moo
When two planes hit the World Trade Centre on 11/9/01 thousands lost their lives in a variety of ways. The media was full of images fed live on television and also in the newspapers; one set of images more than any other caused controversy and universal condemnation those of people falling or jumping. Over the next few days these images were removed and replaced with more images of the heroic response, of the American spirit in evidence fire fighters, policemen and such. This documentary looks at the fate of those trapped by the flames who were faced with a horrible decision and the identity of the famous and terrible image of the falling man as taken by Richard Drew.Even years later it is hard to view images of 11th September without welling up. It is true that the civilian victims of that day are no less worthy of our remembrance than the civilians killed by the coalition in Iraq, but personally I have never seen mass slaughter unfold before my eyes in the same way that it did on this day. We can debate about whether or not our world should continue to be shaped by it years later (Afghanistan, Iraq, erosion's of civil rights etc) but this was not what was going though my head as I watched this film. Instead what I was thinking about was the people, their fate, their choices and their lack of options.I remember the pictures the next day in the UK and recall reports of people jumping or falling to their deaths and I do recall their noticeable absence in the days after the event. So I was intrigued by this documentary because it is not something that the media-savvy US Government want us to think about, even though it is as real as the firemen who gave up their lives trying to save others. In my own opinion those who think that the "jumpers" were not heroic in their own way simply has not thought about the situation they were in or what they themselves would do in that situation. This film spends the first half getting to grips with the attack itself and then the second half dealing with the investigation into who the man in Drew's photo was. The first half is naturally emotionally impacting and as disturbing as I've always found the footage and of 11th September. It is moving to hear the relatives talk and was tastefully done. The second half steps away from the day well and it is interesting and a worthy investigation.The film maybe doesn't deliver it that well but it is still engaging and does pull out a deeper meaning to its existence rather than just seeking out tabloid headlines. The focus on real people makes it work and is a good look at a subject that nobody else in the media seemed to want to address. I suppose in this regard the film is well worth a look simply because everyone else dropped the subject and focused on the images that make for a better feeling (the heroes and the heroic deaths) rather than those that died in a way that was much more difficult to deal with.Overall this was a good documentary that deserves a look because of its subject and also because of the sensitive manner in which it deals with it. It isn't fun of course but it deserves to be seen for what it does well.