It has been two decades since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon shook America, sending shock waves around the world. It was a tragedy that defined American domestic and foreign policy for years to come and continues to shape it even today.
Tragedy and art, however, are no strangers, and in the years since the catastrophe, creators have used media to bring to the fore stories of suffering, loss and healing to audiences.
Now, 20 years on, we shortlist nine documentaries and films that remind us of the lives that were lost and raise fresh questions about undiscussed conspiracy theories.
1. 9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021)
This harrowing documentary, narrated by Jeff Daniels, recalls the 12 hours after the attacks, focusing on the challenges faced by former US President George W. Bush and the White House. Offering unique insights into their discussions and decisions, the narrative also presents previously unheard testimonies from those involved as they raced against the clock to implement damage control.
Streaming on Apple TV+
2. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (2021)
Over the course of five episodes, this docu series sheds light on a post 9/11 world and tries to determine the causes and consequences of these attacks. It questions the lapses in intelligence protocols that failed to prevent the occurrence of such a disaster and showcases interviews with many individuals—from American officials, veterans and survivors to Taliban commanders, Afghan warlords and civilians—who have never spoken on camera before.
Streaming on Netflix
3. Worth (2020)
A big-shot lawyer faces a monumental challenge in the wake of the 9/11 disaster after he's assigned to negotiate monetary compensations for the victims' families. He initially proposes a formula based on economic value lost, which is met with harsh critique. As he listens to the accounts of those affected by the tragedy, he introspects a just way to put a worth on human life. The film is inspired by true events and stars Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan, among others.
Streaming on Netflix
4. The Report (2019)
Adam Driver leads this political thriller as Daniel J. Jones of the American Senate Intelligence Committee, who is tasked with investigating the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program, which was founded after 9/11. His relentless pursuit for the truth leads him down a rabbit hole of corruption, deceit and destroyed evidence that reveals the CIA's torture antics against potential terrorist suspects and detainees. The film is based on factual events and takes inspiration from Jones's original 6,700-page report on the subject.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
5. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Operation Neptune Spear receives a dramatic cinematic representation in this thriller that chronicles the decade-long manhunt and eventual elimination of Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. The narrative follows the perspective of CIA analyst Maya Harris (Jessica Chastain) as she is reassigned to the US Embassy in Pakistan post 9/11. Her efforts through the years eventually helped the authorities pinpoint Bin Laden's location in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and launch a military raid to capture him dead or alive.
Streaming on Netflix
6. My Name is Khan (2010)
Highlighting the discrimination experienced by American Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11, My Name is Khan is a heart-rending story of an innocent man's attempts to reunite with his estranged wife. After Rizwan Khan's (Shah Rukh Khan) stepson is killed in an act of racial violence due to the attacks, his wife Mandira (Kajol) blames his surname for it. In a fit of rage, she tells him to convince the President that he's not a terrorist, and Rizwan, who is on the autism spectrum, takes her literally. What follows is his journey across America to meet the President so that Mandira may accept him again.
Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video
7. New York (2009)
This film follows Omar Aijaz (Neil Nitin Mukesh), who is taken into custody by the FBI in 2009 and forced to spy on his former college friend, Sameer Sheikh (John Abraham). The authorities believe him to be a terrorist but have no proof to verify their suspicions. Omar agrees and rekindles his friendship with Sameer and his wife, Maya (Katrina Kaif), determined to prove these allegations false. Unfortunately, it is revealed that Sameer was wrongfully detained for nine months post 9/11 and tortured mercilessly—an act that made him resort to terrorism to exact revenge.
Available to buy on Google Play
8. United 93 (2006)
This film is based on real-time events that occurred aboard the United Airlines Flight 93, which was one of the flights hijacked by al-Qaeda for the 9/11 attacks. The narrative follows the tense environment onboard, the involvement of air traffic control as the chaos unfolds and the travellers' brave attempts to foil the plans of the terrorist to resume control of the plane. United 93 was the only flight that did not hit its intended target and crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, due in no small part to the passengers' retaliation.
Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play
9. World Trade Center (2006)
This Nicholas Cage and Michael Peña-led disaster film revolves around the ordeal of two members of the Port Authority Police who are trapped under the rubble when the plane crash causes the south tower of the World Trade Center to collapse on them. The two men climb into an elevator shaft and wait to be rescued as the turbulent aftermath of the attacks unfolds. They are confirmed to be alive by the authorities, but it may be hours before they can be rescued.
Streaming on Netflix
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