The Documentary Footage That You Need to See

Every sky rise stairwell, every mention of the 9/11 attacks, I can not and hope not to forget the footage that froze me in my seat for countless minutes after it was finished.It's unbelievable to me that it's been 15 years since the 9/11 attacks. Every year, for our country this day is very cumbersome and sorrowful as we remember the events of that heinous day. Even though it's a day that I'll always remember exactly where I was, seeing the footage live on TV and how much it looked like a movie...I never really fully grasped the devastation and the horror of that day until after this documentary. Even now just writing about the film, I'm tearing up. 9/11 is a documentary that everyone should see. Two times in college, my professor wanted to show us a film that had nothing to do with the subject of the class but everything to do with making us better American citizens and human beings.

The documentary is titled simply, 9/11. The film, though, is anything but simple. Two French filmmakers, with impeccable but chilling timing, decide to do a documentary about a rookie NYC Firefighter. They start filming, not knowing that in days, they will capture footage that is so astonishing and unbelievable, it changed our whole country forever.  The filmmakers follow the NYC Firefighters, the heroes, that ran into the Twin Towers AFTER they were hit by the planes, to save the lives of those in the building. In their last minutes of their lives, the Firefighters concern is for others and saving those around them. The last time you see them, they are telling the filmmakers to get out of the building, which saved their lives.

I really believe that everyone should see this documentary at least once. If you weren't in NYC that day but watched it on TV, you understand it was a horrible day, but you just can't empathize and grasp the horrendousness unless you get an idea of what it was like to actually be there in NYC that morning. 9/11, amazingly, encompasses exactly what it was like that day, with footage that only they captured. From the ear splitting sound of the second plane directly above them darting towards the second tower, to the dust that darkens the entire streets of NYC in seconds, to the lack of fear and total heroism of the Firefighters that don't even hesitate to run up the stairs. This film will change your life, as an American, forever.

Thank you to all those who risked their lives that day, and to ALL the Firefighters in Northern Colorado who risk their lives for us here at home!!!