September 11

Rating:
Summary: Most of the short films are obscure art film experiments
Review: If you're expecting a hard hitting account of the events of September 11th you'll have to look elsewhere I'm afraid. This is a compilation of 11 short films from different directors around the world, many of which give only passing reference to 9/11.
The first shows some Afghan kids and their teacher trying to tell them about 9/11. The kids, who are war refugees stand in front of a chimney, the nearest reference they have to the twin towers. The film is an interesting glimpse at these kids, but not that relevant to 9/11.
The Egyptian one centers on a film director who talks to the ghost of a Marine killed in Lebanon in 1983, and he claims that the terrorists "know the US is a democracy, therefore the people are responsible for their government's policies". A short-sighted and callous view to put it mildly. The Mexican one showed a black screen for almost the entire film. It used a soundtrack of sounds from 9/11 and split second glimpses of the burning towers before fading back to black. Michael Moore referenced this concept in his Faranheit 9/11 film for the attack scene.
The UK one focuses on a Chilean who narrated the September 11 coup in Chile that Nixon and Kissinger instigated in 1973. This was a more poignant film than the others, as we saw scenes from that day that seemed to mirror the 2001 event. Another poignant one was the Bosnian film, which showed scenes of Srebenica where a massacre in 1995 killed 8000 residents. The surviving women were to have a demonstration of mourning the day of the 9/11 attacks, and we hear the radio broadcasts of news of the attacks, so they demonstrate for both their victims as well as the New York, DC, and PA ones.
The Burkina-Faso film is kind of comic. These kids think they see Bin Laden and decide to try to capture him for the 25 million dollar reward. They almost did what Bush failed to do.
The Israeli one is another black humor take on it, as it centers on an attack in Jerusalem during 9/11 and a hyperactive reporter and police. The reporter tells us all the other things that happened on different years of 9/11 in the midst of a chaotic post-attack street scene.
Many of the films have a similar theme of silence, TV or radio broadcasts, and unfortunately an exploration of the director's "artistic vision" that has nothing to do with 9/11. And the theme music runs through all films. One film about silence is the French one about a deaf woman living right next to the WTC and she doesn't hear it, so doesn't know what's happening. There's a similar theme to the most disappointing film: Sean Penn's direction of Ernest Borgnine as this old senile guy living next to the WTC and he doesn't know what's going on either.
The most obscure film of all is Japan's entry: during WWII an Imperial soldier thinks he's a snake. Has no 9/11 reference whatsoever, except when they tagged on at the end the phrase, "there is no Holy War".
Overall a big disappointment if you're looking for something more than film experiments.

Rating:
Summary: a global perspective
Review: An excellent sampling of different views and reactions to the events on September 11, 2001. Not all views are sympathetic towards the US, and some strong political commentary is expressed. People who are interested in different points of views and interpretations on that day's event will enjoy the styles and ideas reflected. People who take offense to any kind of anti-US opinion and feel that any artistic representation of the event is in bad taste should stay away.

Rating:
Summary: Dis-pleased
Review: I have numerous DVD'S and VHS tapes covering all the events of September 11th. I felt that if the message was to see how others in different parts of the world reacted to what occured that day, they did a poor job narrating each scene.

Rating:
Summary: Appealing
Review: These 11 short movies are appealing. Even if you dont agree with them, they're still interesting to watch. They'll open your eyes.

Rating:
Summary: THEME of 9/11 inspires short films about societies deal.
Review: This film deals with the THEME of what occurred in the US on September 11. It allows the viewers to understand the viewpoints of 11 men chosen from across the world who used, as a theme, September 11 as the basis of a short film. As I understand, each director was given significant leverage in creating a short film, the only guideline being a financial budget and that the film must be inspired by the events of September 11. The directors did not discuss their own projects with each other, thus this film is not about one thing - it is NOT directly about Americas September 11. This being said, this film is not a critique, a tribute to, or even about the actual events of September 11, and should be viewed with this is mind. Many Americans see this film and, assuming it is about Americans September 11, are very upset and disappointed. This is a very selfish view, for Americans are not alone in their suffering. It is more about how people of different cultures and backgrounds deal with the highly impactive events occurring in our world. I feel this movie is a tremendous contribution to our society because it allows people to understand how people in other societies comprehend and deal with trauma. Whether or not we agree with these directors should not be what we get out of this film; what we should walk away with is the knowledge that while our world is diverse, we are all similar because at some time in our lives we will deal with our own "September 11," be it in New York City or an anonymous town in Ghana. This film is a tremendous opportunity to learn about the world.

Rating:
Summary: Complex Interpretations of a Painful, Terrible Event
Review: This is an extraordinary compilation of 11 short films by directors from as far as Japan and as close as the U.S. All the films are aware of the still unbearable horror of the events of 9/11, but each interprets them differently. Some are direct, dramatic vignettes. Others, like Shohei Imamura's, are almost impenetrable allegories. Sean Penn's tale, featuring Ernest Borgnine, is as moving as it is mysterious. The British director, Ken Loach, provides a political parallel that will enrage some and amaze others. This is a film that will stay with you and offer perspectives you might not have thought of.

Robert Kolker, author, "A Cinema of Loneliness," "The Altering Eye," "Film, Form, and Culture."