September 11, 2001: Films and documentaries to watch or rewatch
The world commemorates today the 20th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, which caused the loss of 3,000 people in these four suicide attacks carried out by 19 terrorists from the Al Qaeda jihadist cell.
On the occasion of this anniversary, here is a selection of films and documentaries to watch or rewatch.
MOVIE SIDE
Flight 93
Passengers board United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco without incident. The date: September 11, 2001. Shortly after takeoff, strange things happen near the cockpit. When they learn that three planes have been hijacked and crashed into government buildings in New York and Washington, the passengers deduce the terrible truth.
This 2006 film by Paul Greengrass traces the courage of these passengers who joined together in a final heroic act at the risk of their lives to hijack the plane they were on and thus prevent it from crashing into the Capitol in its mad rush.
World Trade Center
Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña and Jay Hernandez play three police officers who go to a building next to the two towers to retrieve emergency equipment.
When the South Tower collapses on them, they find themselves trapped in an elevator shaft and must wait for hours before being rescued. Two of the three officers at the center of the film, as well as their wives, took part in the production and writing of the film.
Zero Dark Thirty
Nominated for five Oscars, this thriller by Kathryn Bigelow (“Minesweepers”) tells the story of the hunt for and assassination of Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda and the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks. The film follows Maya, a fictional CIA agent played by Jessica Chastain, whose perseverance provides the information needed to locate and eliminate bin Laden.
The film also depicts in a very realistic way the operation of the special forces to kill the terrorist leader.
The Mauritanian (Designated Guilty)
Captured by the U.S. government, Mohamedou Ould Slahi survives in Guantanamo Bay prison where he has been held for more than a decade without charge or trial. After losing all hope, Slahi finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander and her associate Teri Duncan. Together, they face countless obstacles in a desperate quest for justice.
This film by Kevin McDonald, released in July 2021, is carried by a trio of masterful actors: Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster and Benedict Cumberbatch
At what price?
This film, presented at the Sundance festival in 2020, was bought by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company and by Netflix, which put it online in early September, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the attacks. It focuses on a little-known part of the history that followed September 11.
Michael Keaton plays Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer whose fight was to compensate the victims' families after the attacks.
Documentaries side
Fahrenheit 9/11
This Michael Moore documentary criticizes George Bush's presidency and his alleged links to the Bin Laden family.
Highly controversial, it still received the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.
New York September 11
This TV movie-French-American documentary on the September 11, 2001 attacks of new York is seen through the eyes of city firefighters, directed by James Hanlon, Rob Klug, Gideon And Jules Naudet, and broadcast in 2002.
Completely improvised because these journalists were already there to follow the New York firefighters, this immersive documentary will follow, camera on the shoulder, these firefighters.
11/09 A day for history
Shocking documentary series in six parts broadcast on National Geographic, which retraces the events of that day, sometimes minute by minute, through first-hand accounts collected from emergency services and survivors present during the attacks.
To create this seven-hour documentary, the film crew viewed 951 hours of archival footage, some of it never before seen, to paint an immersive and emotionally charged portrait of that grim day.
Over the past three years, the filmmakers interviewed 54 people for a total of 235 hours to tell the complete timeline of 9/11, in first person.
