UNITED 93

Before:

I thought I wouldn't see United 93, but after a discussion with my father I felt compelled to see it. My father, who likes generic action and sci-fi pictures, felt obligated to go see it. That surprised me. I thought I might wait until the DVD, but decided I couldn't wait. I love movies, and this is a movie that should be seen.

That said, I was not looking forward to it. I DON'T think it's too soon. I DO completely trust the director and the studio to get it as right as possible. It doesn't affect my personal or political feelings either way. I just know how badly it's going to hurt. The only relatable film is The Passion, which was a soul-draining and exhausting affair. But 9/11 is etched into my memories, the cruxifiction. I'm fairly laid back, but I couldn't get through the opening section of the 9/11 Commission Report. I was bawling. So, I dreaded seeing the film.

Day of:

I'm not going to actually review United 93, so please bear with me. The film is unbearable, and gets more and moreso approaching the conclusion. But in the end, it provided a clarity long since lost in the 4.5 years since the day. I had a knot in my stomach, and it grew and grew, and I simply couldn't cry it away, though I certainly tried. In the middle of the film, it was enough that I found myself looking at the margins of the images...not quite looking away, but having a hard time concentrating.

1) It's very well-made.
2) There is no party line or slogan.
3) There is no overt audience manipulation in the direction or editing.

It's been a long time since 9/11. We've had 2 elections since then, and countless reminders, and new (and reshuffled) Departments, and thousands of "news" stories to dull the memory a bit, to gloss it, to put it in the backseat. And rightfully so...you can't live with that horror every day. Humans endure with such tricks. But a solid reminder every now and then is a very good thing. There are two stories in the film...the morning unfolding for the FAA and the military, and the events on Flight 93. One informs the other, but the stories never cross.

It reminded me of the uncertainty of that day...no one knew the seismic shift that had occurred, and we were all very scared. It was valuable to see that again, without the government and media bywords we've used to distance ourselves from how we felt. I felt like shit, and I feel like shit now. It's not closure. It's not a silly call to arms. It's just a call to remember how we felt, and why we felt that way, and how we responded.

It doesn't stack up as a film. There is no narrative plot, no characterization, and no "flair". It's fly on the wall. The sets were exceptional, the performances were good, not great. It felt workmanlike, but there is no razzle dazzle.

I thought it was all for the better. The story needs no enhancing, no directorial flourishes. It is not Hollywood at all.

Today:

I can't live with it every day. It's simply too much, and my heart goes out to all the families that lost a loved one to 9/11, to the conflicts that followed, to the USS Cole and earlier (mostly forgotten) attacks. But I can feel those emotions closer to the surface. It's makes me both more intolerant and more forgiving of the government. But the film isn't about assigning responsibility. It's not about fake hero-building. It's not swelling music and a last stand. It's a window to a horrible emotional state. It does have heroism and courage. But it's earned and real.

I will buy it, and I might even watch it again, because I don't want to forget that emotional state. I don't need the film for it (and neither do many of you), but it's a nice focus. The images, the confusion, the overwhelming unreality of it all was captured. And that's my impression. It's overwhelming.

If you dig around, you can find the names of everybody on United 93.