September 11, 2001, modified every little thing. Greater than twenty years later, filmmakers proceed wrestling with the best way to inform this story. Some concentrate on the politics, others on private trauma. A couple of dig into conspiracy theories. The very best documentaries about 9/11 don’t simply replay footage we’ve all seen — they discover new angles, uncover recent particulars, or assist us perceive what occurred that day and what got here after.
9/11: Contained in the President’s Warfare Room (Apple TV+)
Ever marvel what George W. Bush was truly pondering when these planes hit? This documentary will get nearer to answering that query than anything on the market. The filmmakers one way or the other satisfied Bush and his complete senior employees to take a seat down for prolonged interviews, and the end result feels outstanding — like watching historical past occur in sluggish movement from probably the most highly effective room in America.
The footage they uncovered is unbelievable. Air Power One communications, White Home safety digicam feeds, and materials that’s been categorised for many years. Watching Dick Cheney describe the unattainable selections they confronted that morning carries actual weight when you’ll be able to see his expression as he recounts it. Typically probably the most highly effective moments are the quiet ones — Bush staring out a window, not figuring out if extra assaults have been coming.
102 Minutes That Modified America (Historical past Vault)
The documentary is very uncooked. No narrator, no skilled speaking heads, simply footage from individuals who occurred to be filming that morning. Building staff, vacationers, and workplace staff — all capturing historical past with out realizing it.
The genius right here is the modifying. A number of digicam angles of the second aircraft hitting, telephone calls from folks trapped in elevators, and random pedestrians attempting to make sense of what they’re witnessing. It’s chaotic, however the editors discovered a technique to make it coherent. You’ll end up checking your telephone throughout the quieter moments, then all of a sudden one thing occurs that makes you overlook you’re watching a documentary in any respect.
Turning Level: 9/11 and the Warfare on Terror (Netflix)
Netflix went massive with this five-part sequence, and principally it pays off. The scope is very large — they begin with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan within the Nineteen Eighties and hint a direct line to the towers falling. Some episodes work higher than others, however when it clicks, you get these moments the place every little thing all of a sudden is smart.
The Afghanistan materials is especially robust. A number of footage most individuals haven’t seen, interviews with former CIA operatives who truly knew bin Laden personally. At 5 hours whole, it’s a dedication, however price it if you need the complete image.
9/11: One Day in America (Hulu)
Nationwide Geographic’s strategy right here is all concerning the human tales. Six episodes, every one specializing in completely different individuals who lived by way of that day. First responders, workplace staff, individuals who escaped the towers, households who misplaced family members.
What makes this sequence particular is the way it handles trauma. The interviews are extremely private — folks breaking down on digicam, sharing particulars they’ve by no means talked about publicly. However it by no means feels exploitative. The archival footage is seamlessly woven in, so that you’re not simply listening to somebody describe working down a stairwell; you’re truly seeing it occur. Episode three, concerning the Pentagon assault, covers floor that the majority documentaries skip.
NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ (HBO Max)
Spike Lee doing a 9/11 documentary was all the time going to be controversial, and he doesn’t disappoint. 4 episodes that join September eleventh to Hurricane Sandy, COVID-19, and the broader story of New York Metropolis’s resilience.
Lee’s model is throughout this — bounce cuts, music selections that make you uncomfortable, interviews that go on longer than they need to. It really works, although. The COVID connections really feel pressured at occasions, however when he focuses on how 9/11 modified particular neighborhoods, it’s good. The Chinatown episode alone justifies the entire sequence. A few of Lee’s editorial selections sparked debates when this got here out, significantly round conspiracy theories. However that’s sort of the purpose.
Within the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant Excessive on 9/11 (HBO Max)
The documentary carries uncommon emotional weight as a result of it focuses on youngsters. Stuyvesant Excessive Faculty was 4 blocks from the World Commerce Middle, and when the planes hit, college students and academics watched from their classroom home windows.
The interviews with former college students, now adults, are devastating. These have been 14, 15, and 16-year-olds attempting to course of one thing that traumatized grown adults. A few of them misplaced dad and mom that day. Others had associates who did. The documentary follows a number of college students by way of that morning and the years that adopted. It’s solely 90 minutes, nevertheless it packs extra emotional weight than documentaries twice as lengthy. The footage from inside the college that morning is surreal — youngsters filming with early digital cameras whereas ash falls outdoors their home windows.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (Peacock)
Michael Moore’s tackle 9/11 and the Bush administration’s response broke field workplace information and sparked huge political fights. Love him or hate him, Moore is aware of the best way to make some extent. The movie spends much less time on the assaults themselves and extra on what occurred subsequent — the Patriot Act, the invasion of Iraq, the local weather of concern that adopted.
Moore’s model is aggressive, typically unfair, however undeniably efficient. The sequence the place he reads the Patriot Act to members of Congress who admit they by no means learn it stays one in every of his finest moments. This documentary aged curiously. A few of Moore’s predictions proved proper, others didn’t. However as a time capsule of how the left considered the Bush administration in 2004, it’s an important watch.
The Looming Tower (Hulu)
Technically, this can be a dramatization, not a documentary, nevertheless it’s based mostly on Lawrence Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into the intelligence failures earlier than 9/11. The sequence focuses on the FBI-CIA rivalry that prevented the businesses from sharing essential info.
Jeff Daniels and Tahar Rahim anchor the solid as FBI and CIA brokers who ought to have been working collectively however spent extra time combating one another. The present takes some dramatic liberties, however the core info are strong. Wright spent years interviewing the actual folks, and it reveals. If you wish to perceive how 9/11 may have been prevented, that is required viewing. Simply keep in mind it’s telling a narrative, not presenting proof.
The 9/11 Information (TCN, YouTube)
The most recent entry on this checklist, and simply probably the most controversial. Tucker Carlson’s documentary raises questions concerning the official 9/11 narrative and options interviews with federal brokers, politicians, and eyewitnesses who declare the federal government hasn’t instructed the entire reality. It presents arguments suggesting a covert CIA operation gone improper and options testimony that gives new proof and different views on the occasions main as much as the assaults.