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"Is There Hope In
The Middle Of All This?" |
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Directed by Andrew & Jon
Erwin
Starring Carl Keyes, Bob
Appleby, Lee Ielpi, John
Picarello, Debra
Burlingame
Distributed by Erwin
Brothers - 2006 - 53mins
- Rated NR |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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C |
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A 9/11 documentary about hope... |
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It has been five years
since 9/11.
Five years.
We've journeyed through several documentaries on the subject, a couple
feature films and countless books dealing with the subject of 9/11.
What's amazing is that five years later it still feels fresh every
single time one watches those towers fall.
It leaves you breathless...makes you physically ache.
I'm not sure the world really needs "The Cross and the Towers," the
latest documentary on the subject of 9/11 offered by the Erwin
Brothers, Andrew and Jon.
Yet, somehow, "The Cross and the Towers" does have its own special
place among the documentaries that have attempted to capture, on some
level, the emotional, physical and spiritual devastation of 9/11. On a
certain level, "The Cross and the Towers" is the "hopeful"
documentary. It vividly captures the real-life journeys of 9/11
survivors through the anger, the grief, the loss and through to the
hope that somehow shined through.
There's Carl Keyes, a pastor who served as a chaplain onsite for
relief workers along with Bob Appleby, a former marine who served in
the same capacity. There's FDNY's Lee Ielpi and John Picarello.
There's Debra Burlingame, the sister of the Flight 77 pilot, and
there's retired NYPD officer Mike Martelli.
In "The Cross and the Towers," the stories aren't so much about that
day anymore, though their stories will always be impacted by the
events of 9/11. Instead, these individuals share their stories of hope
in the midst of recovery and resolution of the most painful kind.
It is, in essence, a way of showing that humanity's essence is one of
survival and, while 9/11 may forever shape their futures, it will not
determine them.
As refreshing an approach as this is to the stories of 9/11, one can't
help but have become a bit weary of the constant imagery that always
seems to accompany 9/11 documentaries...the towers, the smoke, the
screams, the slow motion shots of heroes and, perhaps most
irritatingly, the accompanying score that serves to emphasize the
gravity of the situation.
The film seems to take at least half of its sparse one-hour playing
time in reliving the events of those days, and it feels as if the
actual subject of the film, "the cross" that was found onsite, is
relegated to a secondary role as we find this hope only after having
relived the events of those days once again.
Instead of needing to once again stress the facts that are commonly
known, wouldn't it have been a powerful, even more affirming
declaration of humanity's resilient spirit to have started the film
introducing the cross THEN moving backward through the experiences of
these individuals?
"The Cross and the Towers" is going to be a difficult view for those
who experienced firsthand, however, it may prove to be a hopeful,
cathartic experience for many. While the initial heavyhanded approach
feels unnecessary, the Erwin Brothers do exceptionally well when
portraying the simple, seemingly mundane acts that often became heroic
during the course of recovery efforts in New York City. Bob Appleby,
in particular, is mesmerizing as he describes his experiences of
attempting to support and console people for whom consolation was
nearly impossible.
"The Cross and the Towers" is currently screening during the Heartland
Film Festival in Indianapolis as one of the festival's "Crystal Heart
Award" winners. While it sheds little new light and doesn't tread any
new territory, it does offer a different spin on the testimonies of
individuals we heard about, learned about and cared about as the
details of 9/11 unfolded. Their stories are presented here with a
quiet sensitivity that often serves as a stark contrast to the
overwhelming intensity of 9/11.
The overall message of "The Cross and the Towers" seems quite
simple...
There are moments in life that define us.
Then, there are moments in our life that we must refuse to let define
us.
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© Written by Richard Propes -
Email Me! |
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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| Richard Propes
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C |
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Jacob Hall
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TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Jacob Hall's
Comment
n/a
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