WTC View

The majority of the reviews state how the film "brought it all back", "the feelings we all had but did not dare talk about", and on the other hand a surprise concerning the actor playing Eric who was a bitchy character in "Ugly Betty". Well, that does not tell me a thing about the film. Was it good, bad, a pretext for the nostalgias? Did it study them?

The premise was good: not showing what lies outside, leaving it all for the last shot, trying to focus, or maybe make it a bit suffocating, yes, that was a good premise. Unfortunately, it is average. And being average in a feature that puts itself in that specific period and these events, wow, it must score! Not this one. The feelings in the end are too respectable, they take themselves too seriously, as if it is a disgrace to be comical, not knowing how wise this is. And the main character does not. See how reportedly lame in the dialogues his jokes are. OK, he may be embarrassed. But so is the film. Even worse, because being embarrassed can be defended by "so were the times", this is unfortunately counteracted by giving interiority to the possible room-mates parading. For they sure have more interiority and humanity than the main character, and this makes me not really care about him. He is too neurotic and self-conscious for any caring dramatic effect, and the direction is too slice-of-life no exit up to the end, to come off as something else than, actually, biased.

I would prefer a slice of the others' lives. They seemed more alive, and, at some points, giving their time to Eric's "ranting", as his friend repeatedly said, was little more than pandering.

Clearly adapted from a stage play, this low budget film avoids the crass sentiment of the big productions. It is now appearing on cable TV for a wide audience and will almost certainly gain wider attention.

The sound and feel of its location are exactly right, without ever focusing in on the eponymous site itself. Clever use of micro scenes accent the mood of the main character, whose internal anxiety is the true center of attention. And the acting of most of the walk-through characters adding dimension to that character's development shows that a good script and good direction can overcome lack of big-time experience.

What a great relief from the morbid sentimentality of most 9/11 stories! A real stunner. Must see.

I recently had a chance to screen this film with the director present. He said that his two inspirations for this movie came from Rear Window and Rosemary's Baby. Not exactly two films that come to mind when you think of a 9/11 movie. However, they are fitting. The main character in the movie is trapped in his apartment. We do not see the outside world until the last frame. His prospective tenants go and look out the window of the bedroom and we know what they are looking at without ever seeing it. We do not see it because it is not a movie about us. It is a movie about the characters on screen and their dealing with the tragedy. Writer /director Brian Sloan has captured almost every angle of reactions to that day. Perhaps the most interesting reaction comes from Alex(Nick Potenzieri), as someone who was actually in the tower when the plane hit. He has a positive look on life, and begins to look at everything differently. This movie would be fascinating enough if it were just about prospective roommates and their dealings with Septemeber 11 but it isn't. It becomes much more as we deal with Eric and how profoundly he was affected by that day. This movie is an intimate, moving portrayal of events that we all know, but in a much different way than we have ever seen. I highly recommend it if you can find it to watch.

I saw this movie at ImageOut, the Rochester Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival. Although a shallow, good-natured film called "Summer Storm" won the audience award at the end of the week, most of my friends--people who like more complexity and substance in their films--thought this film was the best of the fest. Focusing on a 30ish gay male photographer whose apartment looked upon the World Trade Center and who is now coping with the trauma he suffered on 9/11, this drama with comedy is one of the most warm and deeply felt human dramas I've seen all year. You really learn to care about the photographer, named Eric, and his all-too-human response to overwhelming historical events. The humor comes organically out of the material without seeming inappropriate or ghoulish, and the film really shows us what it's like, in a compelling way, to live in historically significant times. Were this film to have starred bigger stars--say Jake Gyllenhaal as Eric and Claire Danes as his gal-pal friend--it would be talked about as an Oscar contender today. As it is, this little gem of an indie needs searching out. Many of the actors in this film, particularly Michael Urie and Nick Potenzieri, will be stars one day. See them here first, and remember I told you so.

I was a freshman in high school, sitting in the front row in Spanish class on 9/11. Even though it has been five plus years since that day, the emotions I went through in 2001 are still there. As they were watching this movie. One day I was channel surfing and stopped at LOGO and saw it was a movie starring Mr. Urie from my favorite new show UGLY BETTY. All I knew about Urie was the flamboyant Marc who couldn't be more "fluffy" as was stated in a recent episode. So I was really surprised at his performance as a gay man a few blocks away from ground zero. During the movie, Marc from UGLY BETTY disappeared and Urie the actor shown through like a star in darkness. When I watched his performance I found myself recalling that day and the days that followed.

If you haven't seen this movie, rent it. Watch it. Yes it is sad and it evokes emotion we all felt that month in 2001. But also like that year, the movie leaves with a message of hope even in the face of terror and pain. The subsequent times I viewed the movie I wasn't the person I am now, I went back to September 2001 and I do cry remembering the fear I had not knowing what would happen. I remember feeling what Urie's character was feeling, though I was 6 hours away. But my heart is still lit up inside by the end remembering the hope that was there.

If you are a fan of UGLY BETTY, you will see Marc in a whole new light. For me, watching this movie, I gained a whole new respect for Urie as an actor than I had watching him in UGLY BETTY.