9/11: The Falling Man

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.