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United 93. Inappropriate? Too soon?
I've been quite busy with work lately and I haven't been reading or listening too much so I don't know how much press this has received. Apparently, Hollywood has created a film called United 93 which is a movie about the events of 9/11/2001. At some recent previews, audience members booed, protested and were upset, with some apparently saying it was too soon and inappropriate.
If you're unfamilliar with this story, here's an article. And you can see the preview here.
There's no doubt that in the least the film should strike a nerve because it invokes such powerful emotions of pain and suffering for so many people, but does that make it inappropriate or ill timed?
On one hand, it is a free country and if you don't want to watch the preview or the movie, nobody is going to force you to sit in your seat and watch it. Additionally, just because it brings up a painful memory, does that make it wrong? Furthermore, what about Farenheit 9/11 or the TV show Over There? They certainly struck some raw nerves as well? The video images of 9/11/2001 have all but been erased from the vast majority of conventional media outlets. Is there a concerted effort to now quell the memory of 9/11/2001? Is it "The Day of Which We Do Not Speak"? It's kinda funny actually--Dubya says "nine-elevuhn" when he's trying to remind people of what drives his policies and the masses poke fingers and yawn, but a movie comes out about it and suddenly we can't take it? Come on.
On the other hand, I guess I could claim the movie to be inappropriate simply because it's glorifying the events of that day in some grand Hollywood fashion, but it didn't seem that way from what I saw in the preview. If a person wants to see it and is prepared to be responsible for the emotions they experience (if it's that big a deal to them), then let them make that choice for themselves.
From a personal perspective, September 11th was 4.5 years ago and the emotions I felt that day were very intense and it can be very hard to really re-experience them by trying to remember the day. I have to say that just watching the small amount of the movie in the preview started to stir some pretty deep raw emotion--something that I can't say I've felt in quite a while. Personally, I don't think it's a bad thing as it might give me a chance to reexamine the experience with a better ability to deal with it now. In any event, I don't see why this movie should not be released. If it bombs in the box office, great.
Ever heard of closing your eyes and sticking your fingers in your ears if you couldn't take a horror film?
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