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.

That horrific day I was staying at a B&B in my hometown while visiting my parents. I had just gotten up and dressed, walked into the kitchen where my hosts were with thoughts on my mind of local politics, when I saw the image of the burning towers on their TV set. It was hard to take in at first, it was so like something out of a disaster movie. When it finally did hit me I was immediately in tears and wanted to get on the phone to my brother-in-law in San Francisco. With the reporters talking about other airliners missing and that they were headed for other possible targets, I immediately thought of the Trans-America building in San Fransisco, a familiar part of that city's sky-line, which Dave's office building is right next door too. Thank God he was all right and San Francisco wasn't under any immediate danger. The rest of that day was like walking in a dream - a nightmare - and I suddenly realised how people like my parents (my mum was pregnant with me at the time) had felt when the Cuban Missile Crisis took place in 1962. I mentioned that to some other younger people who had never even heard of that event which nearly lead to a nuclear war. I wonder if their grandchildren will hear of this one? This documentary made me take a very hard look at the people who were there and had to make a choice that many of us hope we never have to - jumping to our deaths to save ourselves from a more horrible one. Everyone should take a look at this program because these people deserve to be remembered for their heroism as much as the firefighters, police and ambulance workers who lost their lives that day. It will truly make a person look deep inside themselves and ask what they would have done.

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.

9/11: The Falling Man (2006)

*** (out of 4)

Any documentary on 9/11 is going to be hard to watch because no matter how many times you see the images, you still can't quite believe it happened. It's still hard to believe that so many innocent people lost their lives to such a horrendous act. Throughout that day there were thousands of images shown all over the world where everyone saw the heartbreak. Over the upcoming weeks and months there were images shown to show how strong America was. There was one picture that was placed in a newspaper on 9/12/01 that seemed to upset people the most and it was a singular image of a man falling from the tower.

That image is the subject of this documentary that tries to identify the man who jumped out the window. The documentary talks about all the controversy that started because of that picture being printed and while watching this film you can't help but wonder if you should really be watching. There's a certain voyeurism nature to seeing someone in this state and the documentary covers both sides of the coin. There's also a strong discussion concerning one man believed to be the person in the image. We hear from his family and we learn how his family hoped it wasn't him due to their religious beliefs surrounding suicide. There are many fascinating topics brought up on the subject.

Again, no 9/11 documentary is easy to watch but this here is certainly one of the most disturbing because one has to put themselves in the falling man's place. I mean, select to burn to death or fall hundreds of stories? Not an easy thought and it doesn't make for an easy subject.

I just finished watching this film on a streaming service. Strange I'd not seen it before. Apparently, since it is a British production, it must not have gotten much distribution in the outlets I frequent. Its minuscule list of nominations and awards reflects a much undeserved lack of attention in the U.S., to my mind. Of all the stories I've seen on the 9/11 attack, and there have been many, this film puts the most honest and telling human face on that horrendous tragedy. Before seeing this film, the thousands of people who died that day were a mass of faceless unknowns to me. Through thought provoking interviews with eyewitnesses, coworkers and family members of lost ones, ones who died in the most horrible of circumstances and were filmed jumping to their deaths, the film brings to life real everyday people consumed by this horrific event. As its title suggests, the story unfolds around an iconic picture taken of a man falling from high up on the Trade Center building and the investigation by the photographer who took the picture to try and determine the identity of the falling man. With the twists and turns of a mystery tale, the story of the investigation is told with great humanity and artistry and impact. This film should be counted as a classic in its coverage of what really happened in peoples lives on that day. A day that will live forever in the minds of not just Americans but people everywhere.