102 Minutes That Changed America.

A chronological breakdown of the period between the first plane hitting the World Trade Center and just after the collapse of the second tower edited from various sources (mostly camcorder footage) and with no commentary and minimal ambient music and sound.

There seems to have been an editorial decision to avoid the footage of the attacks and the actual building collapses (it barely shows the second impact and only shows a single perspective of the second collapse) which confused me a bit.

Perhaps it was thought that those images were already so burned into our collective memory that showing them would be pointless. Maybe the editors wanted to recreate the confusion of the day by showing us only what the voices in the footage were saying.

If it was to avoid sensationalism there was no equal restraint in avoiding footage of people clinging to the sides of the buildings and jumping, or running in panic from the two concrete dust clouds.

It was a grueling watch (as is to be expected).

I'm not sure if it was in anyway a positive viewing experience.

I felt rather uncomfortable for watching it (which is different from not feeling comfortable watching it which, is I hope, the natural reaction with the subject of the material).

It felt more ghoulish than enlightening or informative.

The ambient soundtrack was a big mistake in my view.

The footage is horrific enough adding what added up to a minimalist horror movie emotional enhancement track seemed very distasteful and pointless.

Earlier that evening I had watched a documentary about Tania Head which while disturbing was actually informative and more respectful of the horrors witnessed by the survivor's and the pain of the bereaved family members interviewed.