Ted MacDonald
I just finished watching this film on a streaming service. Strange I'd not seen it before. Apparently, since it is a British production, it must not have gotten much distribution in the outlets I frequent. Its minuscule list of nominations and awards reflects a much undeserved lack of attention in the U.S., to my mind. Of all the stories I've seen on the 9/11 attack, and there have been many, this film puts the most honest and telling human face on that horrendous tragedy. Before seeing this film, the thousands of people who died that day were a mass of faceless unknowns to me. Through thought provoking interviews with eyewitnesses, coworkers and family members of lost ones, ones who died in the most horrible of circumstances and were filmed jumping to their deaths, the film brings to life real everyday people consumed by this horrific event. As its title suggests, the story unfolds around an iconic picture taken of a man falling from high up on the Trade Center building and the investigation by the photographer who took the picture to try and determine the identity of the falling man. With the twists and turns of a mystery tale, the story of the investigation is told with great humanity and artistry and impact. This film should be counted as a classic in its coverage of what really happened in peoples lives on that day. A day that will live forever in the minds of not just Americans but people everywhere.
PeachHamBeach
A very moving and revealing documentary in which a photographer and a journalist both try to establish the identity of a man captured in a photo, having fallen or jumped from one of the WTC towers. The film presents a very poignant fact about the jumpers and those who fell to their deaths: They made a choice to do this rather than burn to death. And for some reason, their actions disturbed many to the point where we don't like to talk about it. Some people have "judged" them as committing the unpardonable sin. I do not wish to trample on the religious beliefs of anyone, but I will say this. I would have chosen jumping had I been in that situation. The thick smoke and intense heat was more hideous to them than leaping into fresh air, as one husband commented. "It must have felt like flying." Let us not stigmatize the jumpers and those who fell. They were not "bad" people because they died this way. These people have weighed heavily on my mind for a few days since the anniversary. Just something to think on...
Jackson Booth-Millard
To be honest, I did not see the entire Twin Towers incident, so this documentary was pretty much a chance to see what I probably should have seen. This documentary focused on how New York was changed by this horrific day of occurrences, with the hijacked planes crashing into the North and South towers, people helpless in the building, the rescue attempts, and the mass destruction leading to hundreds dead. But one image that summed up another way this day was so horrible was the captured image of a man falling to his death, an example of many people jumping to their deaths. This image was very controversial for the newspaper that printed it, but they knew people needed to know how horrible this incident was, and what it could lead people to do when there is no chance. There is also the search for the identity of this single man, and his relatives or friends who would recognise him. A truly moving documentary that you cannot ignore, and really gives you an insight into how this single terrible day caught the attention of people all over the world. It was nominated the BAFTA Flaherty Documentary Award. Very good!
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.
