THE MOVIE

The film I’m reviewing for you today has caused a lot of debate. To some a film (or rather a series of shorts) about the incidents of September 11 is in poor taste. To others it is a testament and reminder of the tragic events. Whatever side of the fence you sit on the film has been made and now released on DVD in Australia. So, what’s it like?

Admittedly this film as a whole held no appeal for me. It’s not that I didn’t think it should be made, people do deal with tragedy in different ways, I just didn’t really know what to expect. The main reason I ended up seeing the film and reviewing this DVD is that one of my favorite filmmakers Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was responsible for one of the shorts. I have enormous respect for Inarritu and wanted to see what he would do with this brief.

In short, the whole idea behind the film is how different countries and cultures reacted to the events. In this way I guess this is a valuable tool, especially to Western audiences, to see exactly what happened and how people viewed the event around the world. Whilst no film glorifies the event, seeing the views of a culture different to our own is a learning curve that makes this film worthwhile.

Included on the DVD are films by the following: Ken Loach (UK), Sean Penn (US), Mira Nair (India), Claude Lelouch (France), Danis Tanovic (Bosnia), Shohei Imamura (Japan), Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran), Amos Gitai (Israel), Youssef Chahine (Egypt), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico), Idrissa Ouedrago (Burkina Faso).

Despite the fact that I admire his work, I found Inarritu’s film to be the most moving. His confusing and disorienting approach created an atmosphere and a feeling I know surrounded those times.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

It is difficult to comment on the quality of this disc as there are various sources etc at work. Needless to say each film looks very fine and is anamorphically enhanced. Colors are well represented and remain strong throughout. Video nasties are thankfully absent and overall we get the impression that much care was taken on this release.

Audio:

The audio is another mixed bag, coming mostly in the form of DD 5.1. The languages vary according to the country but there is also a lot of English. Sound effects are well recreated and music, when present, is nicely mixed into the overall sound field. No real complaints, syncing isn’t an issue, and overall the presentation is fine.

THE EXTRAS

There aren’t any extras present but then again this film isn’t really about that.

SUMMARY

A powerful and moving film experience that provides audiences with an often withheld glimpse into the world in which we live.

The DVD is up to scratch and overall this is one worth checking out.