The
first film to truly exploit 9/11
"September
Tapes" is one of the very few post 9/11 films
that I find truly horrid in its presentation.
Shot using a sort of documentary/narrative
style, the film follows a journalist who goes to
Afghanistan one year after 9/11 to allegedly
find out the truth about the search for Bin
Laden.
I expected to enjoy this film and deeply
appreciate it. The reporter went to great
lengths to create a film with authenticity,
honesty and raw footage within Afghanistan in,
undoubtedly, highly dangerous situations.
Yet, I found myself repeatedly offended and
dismayed by the absolute bold stupidity of the
reporter. He struck me as another Bush with his
absolute belief in his rightness and his
willingness to risk everyone else's life so that
he could discover the evildoers. His
self-righteousness was nauseating at best.
The film has a sort of "Blair Witch" approach
and, indeed, it is possible to reach the end of
the film and not realize whether or not it is
based in reality. Shot on a mere $400,000
budget, the film looks incredibly real in
several places. The reporter in question is a
sort of pretty boy American who seems to have
little regard for the lives of those who assist
him...he repeatedly ignores their advice and
usually it is them who end up paying. It becomes
obnoxious by the end of the film.
"September Tapes" had amazing potential to be an
enlightening and powerful film, but it ends up
being self-righteous, selfishly motivated and
misguided...sort of sounds like a certain
national leader who shall remain unnamed.
Needless to say, I didn't appreciate the
approach and find myself barely able to pass the
film.
©
Written by Richard Propes
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How We Rated This Film
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TC Candler -
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Jacob Hall
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TC Candler's Comment
N/A
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
