20th anniversary of 9/11: 10 movies that examine the tragedy

The devastation and loss experienced on September 11, 2001 — when four coordinated terrorist attacks took place in the USA — left an indelible mark on the world and people are still grieving the events of that day 20 years on.

Two of the four commercial airliners that were hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center towers, bringing them down in a fiery blaze. One flight crashed into the Pentagon; while the fourth crashed away from its target, in a field in Pennsylvania. As with any tragedy, humans have used filmmaking, writing and art to tell stories of the attack. As we look back on the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, here are 10 movies and documentaries that give insight into that fateful day.

‘NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½’: Spike Lee’s four-part documentary made for HBO unites two generation-defining events: the COVID-19 pandemic and the 9/11 event. While the first two episodes take viewers through the days of the pandemic, as it took hold on his beloved New York City, he then travels through time across the two decades since 9/11. ‘NYC Epicenters’ is made up of first-hand accounts and memories shared by the more than 200 people Spike Lee interviewed, in a piece that also explores the resiliency of the city.

‘The Report’: ‘The Report’ follows staffer Daniel Jones (a resplendent Adam Driver) and the Senate Intelligence Committee as they investigate the CIA’s use of torture following the September 11 attacks. The film is a sobering account of a public servant’s tireless efforts to bring accountability to those in places of power. ‘The Report’ covers more than a decade’s worth of real-life political intrigue, exploring and compacting Jones’s 6,700-page report. The film, available to stream in the UAE on Amazon Prime Video, is partly based on the article ‘Rorschach and Awe’ by Katherine Eban which originally appeared in Vanity Fair.

‘Worth’: Following the 2001 attacks, Congress appoints attorney Kenneth Feinberg (Michael Keaton) to lead the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Assigned with allocating financial resources to the victims of the tragedy, Feinberg and his firm’s head of operations, Camille Biros (Amy Ryan), face the impossible task of determining the worth of a life to help the families who had suffered incalculable losses. When Feinberg locks horns with Charles Wolf (Stanley Tucci), a community organiser mourning the death of his wife, his initial cynicism turns to compassion as he begins to learn the true human costs of the tragedy. Based on true events, ‘Worth’ is a moving reminder of the power of empathy and the value of human connection. While the film has released on Netflix in the US, it is yet to get a UAE release date.

‘World Trade Center’: Directed by Oliver Stone, the 2006 docudrama is based on the experiences of a few police officers during the September 11 attacks, as they responded to the disaster and then get trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center. The film, available to stream on Netflix in the UAE, stars Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Dorff, and Michael Shannon. The real ESU (Emergency Services Unit) police from New York who are depicted in the film — Scott Strauss and Paddy McGee — were on set as technical advisers. In addition, the firemen in the film were played by real FDNY members who served on 9/11.

‘Zero Dark Thirty’: The 2012 Oscar-nominated film was directed by the talented Kathryn Bigelow, which takes us into the decade-long hunt to locate Al Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden after the September 11 attacks. Jessica Chastain, who earned a Best Actress nomination for the film, plays CIA analyst Maya, who is stationed at the US Embassy in Pakistan, tasked with the job of extracting information on Bin Laden’s whereabouts from a detainee (Reda Kateb) with suspected links to several of the hijackers in the 9/11 attacks. The controversial interrogations finally lead us to that fateful day on May 2, 2011, when a Navy S.E.A.L.s team, based on information extracted by the CIA, raids a compound that ultimately kills the world’s most wanted terrorist. The film may not make for easy watching, but it does give a sense of closure to many in the aftermath of the attacks.

‘United 93’: Directed by Paul Greengrass, the 2006 film drew heavily from the 9/11 Commission Report, which investigated the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, along with the suicide hijacking of United Airlines flight no 93, which crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The docudrama takes us into that fateful morning, when a scheduled flight from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California was brought down after hijackers stormed the aircraft’s cockpit 46 minutes after takeoff, with the intended target being the US Capitol Building in Washington DC. As the drama unfolds, we learn of how the brave pilots deactivated the autopilot to hinder the hijackers, while the cabin crew and passengers attempt to overcome the hijackers before the plane ultimately met its fiery end.

‘9/11: Inside the President’s War Room’: The Apple TV+ documentary, which the streamer will screen for free on the 9/11 anniversary, the Adam Wishart directorial takes viewers through the 12 hours of President George W Bush’s administration on that tragic day, sharing first-hand testimony from the US President, Vice-President Dick Cheney, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and other senior staff who were the key decision makers on that day. As the tragedy unfolds, the key players in the President’s War Room must decide whether they need to order fighter jets to open fire on civilians, declare war on Afghanistan or wait to decipher what the international implications may be. What unfolded that day led up to the longest war in America’s history and two decades of conflict in Afghanistan before the Taliban returned to power last month.

‘No Responders Left Behind’: Some of the most moving images from 9/11 are of the first responders who flocked to the site to do their duty and rescue the injured in the aftermath of the tragedy. Little did they know that years later, they would suffer expensive, life-threatening illness due to the toxins released that day. This new documentary, premiering on Starzplay in the UAE on September 11, was shot over five years and showcases the unwavering fight led by Jon Stewart — the popular talk show host — John Feal and Ray Pfeifer against the US government to help thousands of responders get healthcare and benefits.

‘Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror’: Netflix has released a five-part docuseries from director Brian Knappenberger that offers a cohesive chronicle of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The series offers illuminating perspectives and personal stories of how the events of that day changed the course of the country. It features interview with US and Afghan officials, survivors and retired CIA staff and more. The docu-series is now streaming in the UAE.

‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’: This 2011 movie, based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer, takes a different angle while telling the wider story of 9/11. In the movie, a nine-year-old boy goes on a quest through New York City to find the lock that matches a key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. The movie featured an all-star cast including Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Max von Sydow and Viola Davis and was nominated for two Oscars — Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for von Sydow.