What Happened on September 11

This is a great introduction for kids to September 11th. The first time I watched this I wish they went into more detail and that it was more impactful but after watching it several times I truly appreciate the gentle but straightforward way this was handled for younger children.

As the elementary students visit the 9/11 memorial they take us on their journey about what they learn, who they talk to, speakers and first hand accounts. It is done in a non terror invoking way which is truly appreciated and appropriate for this audience. Great documentary focusing on kid friendly facts and heroes. One of the best take aways is the one of hope, with the story of the survivor tree. Well done.

What a load of propagandist BS this is, holy Christ I'm disappointed in you HBO. First of all, are we supposed to believe these kids are that intelligent? That they have that vocabulary? That they are able to form such complex and insightful thoughts and sentences in their own little minds? Acting, is what it is, and that's unforgivable in a documentary, but the whole thing is clearly intended for kids, so I forgave it. When they started blaming the Soviet Union and redirecting any semblance of responsibility however, that's when I lost my head! It's such a deliberate distortion of the truth, it's despicable!

Thankfully that's the extent of the political propaganda, and we're taken back to the kids hearing a touching story from the son of a victim. This is the only part of the documentary that feels real, and it's about 5 minutes long.

Cut back to the very definition of the term "those who can't do, teach". I of course have zero evidence to the fact, but I would not be surprised if the art teachers were (bad) actors as well, I can't actually imagine any real people being as fake and obnoxious as these two! On second thought, maybe art teachers...

This film explores how children are taught about what happened on 9/11 and the tools and methods used to help them understand and cope with the painful subject. In that respect it's well done. I'm critical of the film for what was left out. Three buildings collapsed in New York on September 11th 2001, not two. World Trade Center Building 7 (WTC 7), a 47-story office building also collapsed. Why was that omitted?

The filmmakers tell people's feelings and opinions about what happened rather than showing or telling what happened. If you watched this without knowing what happened, you would be misinformed and under informed. It's also slow and boring. Really just a waste of time and money.

I get the idea that this documentary is for kids, but it should show more sides of the facts, like theories, political facts and so on. As it's for kid's eyes i give a 6/10. On the other hand, if it was for adults i would give 4 or 3. The most important point of this documentary is to analise the kids interpetation from what they know, and the purpose to give more information to the children that are watching this 30 minutes is left apart.