9/11: The Falling Man

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.

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.

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.

When two planes hit the World Trade Centre on 11/9/01 thousands lost their lives in a variety of ways. The media was full of images fed live on television and also in the newspapers; one set of images more than any other caused controversy and universal condemnation – those of people falling or jumping. Over the next few days these images were removed and replaced with more images of the heroic response, of the American spirit in evidence – fire fighters, policemen and such. This documentary looks at the fate of those trapped by the flames who were faced with a horrible decision and the identity of the famous and terrible image of the falling man as taken by Richard Drew.

Even years later it is hard to view images of 11th September without welling up. It is true that the civilian victims of that day are no less worthy of our remembrance than the civilians killed by the coalition in Iraq, but personally I have never seen mass slaughter unfold before my eyes in the same way that it did on this day. We can debate about whether or not our world should continue to be shaped by it years later (Afghanistan, Iraq, erosion's of civil rights etc) but this was not what was going though my head as I watched this film. Instead what I was thinking about was the people, their fate, their choices and their lack of options.

I remember the pictures the next day in the UK and recall reports of people jumping or falling to their deaths and I do recall their noticeable absence in the days after the event. So I was intrigued by this documentary because it is not something that the media-savvy US Government want us to think about, even though it is as real as the firemen who gave up their lives trying to save others. In my own opinion those who think that the "jumpers" were not heroic in their own way simply has not thought about the situation they were in or what they themselves would do in that situation. This film spends the first half getting to grips with the attack itself and then the second half dealing with the investigation into who the man in Drew's photo was. The first half is naturally emotionally impacting and as disturbing as I've always found the footage and of 11th September. It is moving to hear the relatives talk and was tastefully done. The second half steps away from the day well and it is interesting and a worthy investigation.

The film maybe doesn't deliver it that well but it is still engaging and does pull out a deeper meaning to its existence rather than just seeking out tabloid headlines. The focus on real people makes it work and is a good look at a subject that nobody else in the media seemed to want to address. I suppose in this regard the film is well worth a look simply because everyone else dropped the subject and focused on the images that make for a better feeling (the heroes and the heroic deaths) rather than those that died in a way that was much more difficult to deal with.

Overall this was a good documentary that deserves a look because of its subject and also because of the sensitive manner in which it deals with it. It isn't fun of course but it deserves to be seen for what it does well.

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.