World Trade Center

Marisa and I left the kids with Granna and went to a matinee. Not sure what to say. I am glad I saw it. Take kleenex if you go. I guess a couple of things stand out about the film.

Two characters were people of faith. One of the two rescued was/is a devout Catholic. He has a vision of Jesus while trapped. I saw an interview with the real man recently and he talked about his faith. Another person/character was a man from CT who left his job to help out. He was a former Marine. There is a scene where in his church building. He is talking to his preacher and says he feels called by God to help. To use his God-given talents to help. According to the film (you never know how much is "based on real events" and what exactly happened) it was this man and another marine who continued searching throughout the night after the authorities had called off the search until the next day. If those two men, both Marines, had not continued to yell and listen for survivors in the rubble into the night, there would probably have been two less survivors. The two men would have likely died from their injuries before the next morning. Only 20 people were found alive.

The other underlying theme of the movie was family. It reminds you of the importance of those who are important and makes you want to hug a loved-one. You see the families waiting together to get word whether their husband/son/father/brother is alive or dead. And you hear these two men trapped among the steel and concrete talking about their wives and children.

It is rough and draining but well-done. Real footage is mixed in. I had never thought about what it would be like to hear the metal buckling inside the two buildings. Powerful stuff.