In the course of the commentary track by writer/director Paul Greenglass, he answers those who thought that it was too soon to make a film about UNITED 93. It’s not too soon, he says, it’s high time. As with the feature film release of UNITED 93, the DVD is also a tribute to the people who died on that flight. Included is a memorial with the name and brief bio of everyone who died that day, bringing home the human toll just as directly as the film did. The bonus material illuminates the process, but also brings the dead, revealed to us by friends and family, into sharper focus, making their loss all the more painful.
Greenglass’ reply is one moment of the commentary track that is rife with the voluminous research and the meticulous recreation that was undertaken so that the film would have the effect of unfolding not just in real time, but in real life. Special effects designed to blend in, sound design, camera angles, and mixing actors with people who were actual participants are discussed, but what is most telling about the final product is Greenglass’ explanation of the carefully thought out philosophy of what went on before and during the event, and how best to render that visually. His sharing it verbally serves to enrich those visuals beyond their already powerful impact.
The featurette on the families and getting their cooperation begins with Greenglass speaking to the camera about determining when the time was right to make the film. Every family gave its support, and the ones we meet discuss candidly why they came on board, why they were reluctant, how they have coped, and what they want the film to do when it comes to memorializing the dead. Emblematic perhaps of all the families is the meeting between one of the families and the actor who will be playing the loved one who was lost. The sister looks as the actor, newly arrived, and tells him that it’s exactly how her brother would have arrived, the outfit, the duffle bag. It’s that odd moment of recognition and of strangeness, the way his grandmother hugs the actor as a way of connecting that reveals the complex emotions at play and the great faith that they are putting in both the actor and in Greenglass. How the families have moved on, and how the past is still very present, are captured with a painful honesty as these survivors reveal themselves with a simplicity that is in direct contrast to the profound feelings being expressed.
UNITED 93 works as a riveting story, but, more importantly as a document as valid as any of the non-fiction variety about what happened that day, amplifying and, most importantly, keeping the focus on the human level.
Click here for the full review of UNITED 93.
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