01) Fahrenheit 9/11
Directed by Michael Moore
Released in 2004
I remember watching Fahrenheit 9/11 many years ago having loved Bowling For Columbine, but found it to be very confusing, very heavy-going and ultimately inferior film to Moore's aforementioned Oscar winning documentary.
However, I decided to give it another go after I recently discovered it won the highest prize at the Cannes Film Festival, was named one of the best films of the decade by The Guardian and also believing that I'd be able to understand it a lot clearer now that I'm older.
To say I'm glad that I watched it again is a gross understatement. This time around, I found the film to be absolutely incredible.
When I first put the film on, I seemed to remember that most of Fahrenheit 9/11 was about the faults of the Bush administration before and after 9/11 and how, in many ways, they exploited the suffering of many Americans during this period for their own personal motives. In fact, this is only part of the story. Moore doesn't just point his finger at George W. Bush for the things that happened, he also points a finger at the entire system in the USA. From the businesses that exploited the American people's lives for money to the media who kept everyone in fear of attacks. From the congressmen who were too lazy to read the Patriot Act to the recruiters who used poverty to find soldiers, Moore suggests that there are tons of people to blame for what happened in the USA.
What I found to be the most impressive aspect of Fahrenheit 9/11, however, is the fact that, even if you don't know much about American politics, Moore's film is very understandable and clear in presenting its evidence. Admittedly, a lot of it confuses me and this is probably why I didn't like it the first time around, but Moore does a great job in explaining what everything means and the effects it later had. The evidence that is revealed is completely jaw dropping too. At times, it's so frightening that it leaves you in utter disbelief. I find it difficult to believe that anyone could dispute 90% of what is revealed in the film as Moore constantly backs up his point with interviews, documents and footage.
Despite the tough subject matter, the film is also very entertaining, fast paced and, at times, very funny. I applaud Moore's decision to do this as it will allow people who would normally have little interest in politics to be gripped to the story. But having said that, in many scenes, Fahrenheit 9/11 is tremendously harrowing. In particular, the moments before the Iraq war breaks out, the bodies of the children who were killed in the first bombings and the footage of a grieving mother visiting the White House after her son was shot down in Iraq are hard to watch. However, the most powerful for me was when the story focuses on 9/11 itself. Instead of showing the planes crash into the World Trade Centre, Moore presents the sound on a black background before showing the disillusionment and suffering of those in New York during the aftermath.
Overall, Fahrenheit 9/11 is a fantastic expose of what really happened behind the scenes during a period in American history that will forever change the country. It also shows just why Michael Moore is the most popular political film-maker of our generation.
5/5
2 comments:
I loathed this film. Unbearably incoherent and arrogant. At least Bowling For Columbine wasn't so bad. I can't go in depth because I can't remember much and I'm not going to revisit but I do remember just being angered by the unemotional boo'shit.
- Jack Moulton
I can see why people would think this and, admittedly, I have a love/hate relationship with Michael Moore. But I found Fahrenheit 9/11 to be really quite tremendous. Like I think I said, it's definitely biased which is a shame, but I still think it's an important film.
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