9/11: The Falling Man

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.

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.

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.

I remember the day it happened and I don't think I will ever forget it. I was horrified by it. And I felt really sorry for the people that lost their loved ones in this event. And after watching this documentary I still feel the same. But I want to point out something. It doesn't matter weather those "jumpers" stayed in the buildings or not. Those attacks on those buildings was a merciless act of mass murder. Nothing else. And I believe that God had mercy on those poor souls who had died that day.

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.