Two 9/11s

Rating: 1/10 (15 August 2006)

As a New Yorker trying to come to grips with all of these new 9/11-themed movies, I have come to the conclusion that there were two very different 9/11s here in America.
The first 9/11 is the national tragedy which shocked all Americans, from Seattle to Miami. The second, more personal 9/11, is the one that New Yorkers witnessed with their own eyes.
I stood on the roof of my Brooklyn apartment building and watched the towers fall. I remember saying "oh no oh no oh no" about a thousand times. I was in shock, pure and simple. I thought the death toll would be in the tens of thousands, as I was very aware of how many people could have been in/around the towers. I cried.
I don't want to ramble on here, and I'm not claiming that my reaction to the tragedy is any more valid than anyone else's, even if they were in California during the attacks and only saw them on television.
What I AM saying, however, is that I think New Yorkers in particular could have used a little more time before movies of this nature started coming-out. It's just still too fresh in our collective memory... too raw.
I understand that others, who were not there, may want to feel a little closer to this national tragedy... to remind themselves of just how scared we all were that day. As a New Yorker and an eye witness, however, I need no reminders. To me, and to many other New Yorkers with whom I have discussed this very topic, these movies seem to be shamelessly capitalizing on our pain, turning our personal tragedy into a money-making venture, and it sickens me.