“These students ended up being a nice representation of America for me. People with different backgrounds, first and second generation Americans, children of immigrants, immigrants themselves. To me, they are a representation of what America is. However, that was not the story we had in mind,” Shaca told Variety.
For many students who participated in the making of the film, the physical and mental shock experienced on the day of the tragedy has left an indelible mark. They still have to live with it today. For example, former student Catherine Choi died of stomach cancer shortly before the film was completed. Her friend and classmate Ilya Feldsherov, who also appears in the film, thinks her cancer was caused by the toxic dust that lingered in the Twin Towers area long after the terrorist attack.
Photo: AFP / Scanpix
Today, a lot has changed since then. In US schools, children are trained on what to do if a shooter comes to school. At that time, people seemed more prepared for a nuclear war than a terrorist attack and the collapse of two huge towers. No one even dreamed that something like this could happen.
As the film’s characters recount what they experienced that day, the viewer of the film will slowly realize that the school staff were just as confused and shocked as the students. After the first plane hit the tower, everyone was told to stay at school. On the other hand, when the second plane crashed, it became clear to everyone that they had to put their feet over their shoulders.
It was all a real waking nightmare. The children saw with their own eyes how people escape from the flames by jumping out of the windows. The streets were full of debris. There was ash and smoke everywhere. An eyewitness revealed that the huge cloud of dust that engulfed the city looked like a sandstorm from the movie ‘The Mummy’. Unfortunately, it was not a movie, but reality.
2023-09-10 21:00:00
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