Haunting...
11'9"01, also known as September 11, is a
powerful, if at times convoluted, look at the
impact of the events of 9/11 on the world. The
film offers 11 directors from 11 different
countries the chance to shoot 11 minute short
films on the effects of the 9/11 terrorist
attacks. The results range from quietly powerful
to chaotic to poignant to mind-bogglingly
tragic. I found myself in tears during several
of these short films and enraged during a couple
others.
The directors and countries represented include:
Youssef Chahine- Egypt
Amos Gitai- Israel
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu- Mexico
Shohei Imamura- Japan
Claude Lalouch- France
Ken Loach- United Kingdom
Samira Makhmalbaf- Iran
Mira Nair- India
Idrissa Ouedraogo- Burkina Faso
Sean Penn- USA
Danis Tanovic- Bosnia- Herzegovina
Why do I care to list each? Quite honestly,
because I respected each short film
considerably. Each filmmaker was given creative
license to do as the pleased...some gave very
vivid accounts of 9/11 itself. Some showed a
segment of their nation's response to
it...others related the events of 9/11 to their
own struggles. Regardless of their creative
choices, these filmmakers did more in 11 minutes
than most filmmakers do during a feature length
film.
I will attempt briefly to address each film out
of respect for each filmmaker:
Chahine's film could possibly seen as an
anti-American statement due to a seeming
reverence for suicide bombers. It is a
challenging film from an American film, yet a
powerful one that makes incredibly viable
statements within the Muslim world and deeply
addresses the events of 9/11 from a cause/effect
point of view.
Gitai's film was the least watchable for me, not
out of discomfort, but out of a chaotic
filmmaking style. I felt like Gitai was
attempting to create an atmospheric quality...it
simply was too lofty a goal for a short film.
Inarritu's film, for me, was among the most
effective and powerful. It is 11 minutes that no
survivor of 9/11 nor anyone who has experienced
PTSD from such events should witness alone. I
not only suggest it could evoke flashbacks, I
dare say it WILL evoke flashbacks. Much like the
darkness of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11",
Inarritu incorporates the use of darkness along
with audio tapes including some of the phone
calls home from the airplanes. Quite simply, I
found myself in tears for this entire 11
minutes. This is a profound tribute and memorial
to the victims and survivors of 9/11.
Imamura's film, on the other hand, was unclear
in its focus and I found myself fishing for
symbolism that I never found. Visually it
worked, but I felt like it may have been more an
exercise in filmmaking than a film of purpose.
Lalouch's film, for me, was another short film
of great beauty. Lalouch took a personal
approach providing two characters...one a young,
deaf French woman and her boyfriend, an
interpreter leaving for an assignment to
interpret for a visitor to the WTC. The woman is
remarkably human, going about her day completely
unaware of the horrors playing on her
television. Her boyfriend returns later in the
evening having survived the day yet covered in
dust and tragedy.
Loach's film addresses Chilean episodes that
also occurred on 9/11 involving the US and
terrorist activities in that nation. It is, in
many ways, an unpopular subject in American
politics but a powerful statement and well
presented.
Makhmalbaf's film is poignant in that she
presents the story of children of Afghanistan
who are unaware and clearly do not comprehend
the events of the day. The innocence of the
children surrounded by this tragedy is
beautifully photographed and presented.
Nair's film is, in fact, indicting of our own
hysteria after 9/11 in that presents the story
of a young Muslim man who was missing from the
WTC and was initially suspected of being one of
the terrorists. It was later found out that he
had, in fact, been one of the many EMS rescue
workers who rushed to the scene and ultimately
to his death.
Ouedraogo's film is one of this film's lighter
moments, which is quite welcome considering the
intensity of these films. It is a moral fable
that is powerfully presented with a perfect
balance of light and dark.
Penn's film is, perhaps, the most personal story
in that it focuses on the loss of one man on
9/11. This film features 11 minutes of Ernest
Borgnine's finest work in what is essentially a
monologue of loss and grief and despair and
hope. While a bit heavy handed in its symbolism,
it is a tremendous revelation by Penn.
Tanovic's film is powerful in the way that it
presents that we simply must go on. It presents
a look at that nation and a group of women who
gather weekly to protest the horrors of war. On
9/11 they are due to gather for their weekly
protest...while the others wish to call off for
the day, this one young woman believes it is
even a stronger call to action. What follows is
a quiet resolve and scene of great beauty.
This film is a call to brotherhood, I
believe...it is a call to action and a call to
understanding each other. It is a reminder that
the actions of a few can impact the entire
world. Yet, it need not just be the tragic
actions of a few. This film is a reminder of the
power of a few people to plant the seeds of
beauty, hope and peace throughout the world. As
challenging as this film is to see...it simply
cries out to be seen.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
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Jacob
Hall's Comment
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