T oday, some may ask whether it’s too soon.
I wonder why it took so long.
“United 93,” the first major motion picture that directly depicts the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, opens nationwide amid concerns that we’re not ready to watch the greatest disaster in most of our lifetimes unfold on the big screen.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we understand that we’ll never be ready.
We aren’t going to get out of bed one day and decide we’re far enough removed that we can sit in a dark movie theater and be reminded of the event that shook our nation to the core as four airplanes fell from the sky, each one sending another tremor with the realization that we weren’t in control.
We didn’t know if or when it would stop.
And now we don’t know if or when the fear and sadness will go away.
But the fact is that the story of courage that came out of cell phone conversations and communication transcripts from the fateful flight has always felt as if it had been lifted from a movie script.
With Hollywood’s ability to turn a film around quickly and the never-ending race to be the first one with the big story, it’s surprising that it’s taken more than four years for a feature film to arrive, although “Flight 93,” a made-for-TV movie based on the same story, aired on A&E in January.
Later this year, director Oliver Stone will release “World Trade Center,” starring Nicolas Cage, about two Port Authority officers trapped in the rubble of the Twin Towers.
Big-time director. Big-time movie star.
But first comes the story of the unlikely and unwitting heroes, the ones who knew they had nothing to lose and risked their lives to make sure that at least one of the hijacked planes didn’t reach its intended target, whatever it may have been.
This is the story that gave hope to us on the ground. It reminded us we could do something about it.
It also reminded us that we were all in it together.
It’s nearly impossible to imagine now, but Sept. 11, 2001, was before everything became a political statement; before Hollywood films, such as “The Passion of the Christ” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” were seen as deep lines drawn in the sand.
Yet, I’ve already heard one local radio commentator using the release of “United 93” as a device for advocating support for the war, saying the film will “remind us who the bad guys are.”
What it should remind us of, really, is who the good guys were.
These were complete strangers on an airplane. The kind of folks you disparage because they’re using too much space in the overhead bin, or taking too long to find a seat, or getting up too often to use the restroom.
They banded together when they needed to. It’s a real triumph of the human spirit, American or otherwise. These passengers didn’t know where their plane was headed. All they knew was that it wouldn’t have ended well.
Their actions and sacrifice ought not to be exploited for politics.
So, while we ponder whether it’s too soon to watch a film about that awful day, we should also remember what we had and how far we’ve strayed.
We all felt the sadness and the fear. We all remember exactly where we were when we started hearing news reports. We all remember wondering whether we’d ever laugh again.
It was a shared tragedy, regardless of which political direction we’ve taken since.
That’s what we should remember as we head out to see the film or decide to ignore it.
That day, we were all united.
Columnist Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
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