9/11: The Falling Man

source: 9/11: The Falling Man

I was an Ambulance Dispatcher working the day shift on 9/11. On our floor we had giant television screens, tuned into the news, so that we would know if anything major was happening in the city. The horror of watching the attacks and the hours of images I saw that day, while taking emergency calls for our own Canadian city, stayed with me for a very long time. Here we are 20 years later and I finally committed to watching a documentary about that day.. Judgement about how or even when a person decides to die isn't something I spend much time thinking about, but this documentary did make me think about it. I can tell you that it didn't take me long to come to the conclusion that once I realized that there was no way out and no chance of rescue, I hoped I would have the courage to take control and jump, rather than wait meekly for death to take me. The day really wasn't any easier to watch this time around, but we need to remember. Change doesn't happen because we ignore history's problems, it happens when we remember them and are horrified enough, to make sure it's never repeated.

From all the images of 9/11, I find this the most disturbing. I touches that personal choice of dying. Will I die from the fire or jump to my death. Yet there's freedom in this picture. Acceptance of inevitable death. Whatever it is to you, this is just one of the many people who jumped to their death. The documentary not only focuses on the backstory of The Falling Man but also the dwells specific to the people trapped in the upper floors of the WTC, who can't evacuate. It's a heartbreaking docu that everyone should watch.

Going into this, I was worried it might be sensationalism of an incredibly tragic day and the fateful decision of many of those trapped. It wasn't. The story is told with sensitivity and class. Fair warning that the first few minutes are gut wrenching as it briefly recounts the events of that terrible day, including those who decided to jump rather than burn or suffocate. I find it odd that some people judge the jumper because of our prehistoric views on suicide. I do not. They were in an impossible situation. Who are you or I or even a god to question that final decision by them? Indeed, I think it says a lot about them that they made that fateful decision, the last thing that they could decide for themselves in their lives. It's also comforting to know that identifying some of them brought closure to some of the grieving families and loved ones. Really well done.

This documentary takes a lot of care with interviews, details and images. But my personal view was that I couldn't understand why they wanted to identify who the falling man was. I thought that it maybe delved too deeply into people's grief. The debate about what photos are appropriate to publish is valid. While some people thought publishing photos of the falling man were terrible, others thought they were a poignant symbol of the 9/11 tragedy. But why go over office workers' last phone calls to loved ones? I guess people want to process it. But it's not vital and I'm not convinced it achieved anything.

The 2006 documentary "9/11: The Falling Man" was actually a documentary that I feel is a necessary documentary. Sure, there has been an abundance of documentaries about the firefighters, policemen, and other rescue personnel that was involved in the events that took place on September 11th. But "9/11: The Falling Man" tells the story of those that we haven't heard about, but all knew were there. And while some people saw these terrible things with their own eyes, others only saw whatever was covered by the news and media. And while sitting through this ordeal, I must admit that I am a bit appalled by the fact that it was opted to quiet and forget about the people that decided to, for whatever reason I cannot ever possible determine, jump from the towers and plummet to their deaths below. Why would there be a need to forget about these people and pretend it never happened. Sure, I don't agree upon the act of trying to trace down the identity of the individual in the iconic photo that was shot and world-widely frowned upon afterwards. But yeah, there was a story here, one that in no way deserved to be hushed and forgotten, but at the same time not one that needed to be delved into for finding an identity. "9/11: The Falling Man" is a documentary that most certainly is worth watching, and one that sinks in under the skin and sticks with you, but at the same time provides some very enlightening informations of what happened. My rating of "9/11: The Falling Man" lands on a six out of ten stars.

This is an interesting personal view of a huge tragedy. In the beginning they create the scene and afterwards it's trying to find the person in the photo, "the falling man". You see 2 families talk about him because at first they thought it was one guy then they realized it was probably a different one. I don't think they'll really ever know who it was falling but they seemed pretty sure it was the 2nd guy they showed. Either way it doesn't really matter what matters is people were in such distress they had to jump out of huge towers to avoid burning to death. Who really cares who one picture was? That was one of hundreds that jumped out of the towers. Random thing about the documentary is when they were interviewing people the lighting was off. I think they were keeping it sort of dark to go with the tone but like half the person would be covered with shadows. Kinda random and kinda weird to me.

Although it's difficult to watch, the film doesn't leave one feeling depressed. Instead, it enriches you with a deeply thoughtful look into the human spirit. The questions posed are difficult: Was it brave or obscene to publish the Falling Man image? Should we be embarrassed that people chose to jump from the Twin Towers or were these people courageous individuals who seized control of their fate in the face of unspeakable options? Who, in fact, was the person in the Falling Man image? None of these queries have easy answers, but the attempt to grapple with them is handled with insight and dignity.

I couldn't stop crying. It brought back that day like I was seeing it all again. Yes it is hard to see, but important to remember the people whose lives were lost and the horrible decisions they were forced with that day.

Very interesting to make a film about a single photo, its an original approach to 911. For the life of me, I cant understand why the so-called jumpers were morally condamned by some people, and ignored by many. They were victims too, no matter how they died. The film tries to explain that, but it doesnt dig deep past a few people personal quest. Those people are very generous and courageous to speak about their loved one. But the film is too cautious to lead to a real reflexion about history and its narrative.