With the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Saturday, many are looking for ways to commemorate the occasion that so deeply shaped our nation. The devastating event has been the subject of several films and documentaries, many of which are available to stream. In order to honor those that we lost and examine the years that followed, take a look at some of the following movies and documentaries and consider a watch.
9/11: Inside the President’s War Room
This new documentary for Apple TV+ uses archived footage and previously unseen Interviews In order to dig Into the events around the deadliest terrorist attack ever committed on American soil. Focusing on the presidency of George W. Bush and how he handled the once-In-a-lifetime event, this documentary narrated by Jeff Daniels is a must-watch for history buffs.
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Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror
Netflix also created and released a documentary about 9/11 to coincide with the 20th anniversary. This 5-part series digs into the history that influenced the attacks, the events of the tragic day, and how it has shaped America’s progression ever since.
Worth
This 2020 film from Netflix focuses not on the events themselves but how people picked up the pieces of their lives In the aftermath. Michael Keaton stars as a lawyer who Is tasked to figure out the financial compensation for the victim’s families while being forced to reckon with what life Is truly worth. Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan also star.
The Report
Amazon’s 2019 film The Report also digs into the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, focusing on the way that it shaped our politics and foreign policy. The Report follows Adam Driver as Daniel J. Jones, a member of the American Senate Intelligence Committee that has been tasked with Investigating the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program. Jones managed to uncover an astounding amount of corruption In the way that the US treated potential terrorist threats and the 6,700-page report that he published unearthed some truly horrific instances of torture and how the military operated following 9/11. Annette Benning and Jon Hamm also co-star.
Zero Dark Thirty
This tense war film from director Kathryn Bigelow was a darling of the 2012 awards season and turned actress Jessica Chastain into a household name. Available to stream on Netflix, Zero Dark Thirty follows the work of a CIA analyst (Chastain) who is relocated following the 9/11 attacks and her 10 years working in the Middle East until the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. Chris Pratt and Joel Edgerton co-star.
My Name Is Khan
This 2010 drama that is streaming on Amazon Prime focuses on an often ignored facet of the aftermath of 9/11: the discrimination and abuse that American Muslims faced following the attacks. Starring Shah Rukh Khan as a man attempting to prove to the President that he’s not a terrorist while also reuniting with his estranged wife, My Name Is Khan encourages people to reckon with the wrong that was done to many in the name of misguided patriotism.
United 93
A tense 2006 thrilled directed by The Bourne Supremacy‘s Paul Greengrass, United 93 (available for purchase on Amazon Prime and Google Play) plays out In real time on the United Airlines Flight 93, one of the flights al-Qaeda hijacked and the only plane that did not reach its intended target. Not for the faint of heart, this film focuses on the behavior of those onboard and how they influenced the course of history.
World Trade Center
Director Oliver Stone released World Trade Center in 2006, telling the story of two police officers — played by Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena — who were trapped in the rubble of the south tower after the first plane hit. The tense disaster film Is available to stream on Netflix.
