Alain Brigand's 11'09''01 is a melange of 11 short films connected by a single event: the attacks on the twin towers on September 11th. By inviting directors from around the world, Brigand shows the global filmic response to the tragedy. The only artistic restriction was that each individual film must last precisely 11 minutes, 9 seconds and 1 frame. The resulting collaboration offers some diverse geographical, cultural, and artistic perspectives on those tragic events. But it benefits from prior knowledge, on the part of the viewer, towards the previous work of the various contributors.
The major factor of connectivity is the media, through different forms (tv, radio) each protagonist reacts to the terrorist act differently. For example, in the Persian segment, the children were not able to understand the gravity of the situation because they had not seen it happen. But it is also important to note that through the dominance of media, 9/11 became a "monologue instead of a dialogue" as filmmaker Samira Makhmalba noted. She also said that the image of 9/11 would not have been as real if listened to on the radio. Yet in the Bosnian segment by directorDanis Tanoic, the radio is used to notify people.
Each film has a specific message. While Tanoic focuses on the "forgetfulness of people," Samira Makhmalba chose to target the vast difference between those in poverty and those who are affluent.
While the film was composed of eleven separate shorts, there was one consistency: the whole world responded to the events on September 11th. Whether it was someone hunting for Osama bin Laden or someone finally coping with the loss of their wife, everyone was affected.
The film intended to be watched in one block of time can be better appreciates in segments. Watching eleven clips, eleven minutes long all about September 11h is emotionally draining. Ny watching each short individually, one can take the time to process feelings before moving on to the next short.
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