United 93

I saw this film a week or so ago. It was a movie experience unlike any other. I didn't feel like I was watching actors. I felt like I was watching the actual event. There was no focus on any one individual in the movie - there was no one hero that we were supposed to empathize with - but instead we saw ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And that is the heart of what happened on that plane on September 11.

I didn't go to see the movie because I expected to be entertained or even to feel good about how those patriots acted on that day. It was a very difficult movie to watch. The audience was silent. I was aware of the audience, though, because we were reliving that life changing day together. At one point I looked over and caught the eye of a woman who had an expression of horror on her face. I think I had a similar expression on mine. We shared a second of understanding.

I went because I felt I had a duty as an American to honor what they did that day. There are many ways to honor them and I don't think everyone needs to go to the movie to do it. But for me, it worked well.