Historical dramas have become the focus of the just-begun awards season. On the one side, BrutalistThe film, which chronicles the life of a Nazi Holocaust survivor, has wowed critics. This also aroused interest Life of Sing Sing— a prison drama exploring the inequality of the 1970s — and Nickel boysadaptation of the book of the same name by Colton Whitehead. The story details the history of a youth correctional facility in Florida (USA). which became the scene of a scandalous murder.
But perhaps the film that ends up being a big winner at the next awards ceremonies is September 5 Tim Fehlbaum, almost unexpectedly nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama. The plot delves into the hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olympics. But beyond recreating events or demonstrating a political position on what happened, Moritz’s script. Binder, Tim Fehlbaum and Alex David focused their interest on an unexpected twist. This, demonstrating how the ABC Sports team has moved from analyzing sports events to covering violent events live. All, while trying to maintain a level head and adhere to journalistic ethics.
To achieve this, the plot follows correspondent Peter Jennings (Benjamin Walker), who, with no formal knowledge of how to cover news of this magnitude live, must improvise. Much more than that, he managed to keep his team calm while eight members of the Black September terrorist group threatened to kill a group of Israeli athletes. What became a massive tragedy, captured on camera in real time and shared widely, sparked debate about the role of journalism in a critical situation. Even more serious is the prospect of showing violent events. may influence future perceptions of what happened.
Difficult topic in “September 5”
One of the most interesting elements September 5lies in the fact that the plot analyzes the process of covering a very serious event in unfavorable conditions. Beginning with Jennings’ decision to take charge of coverage, the film progresses through the formation of the ABC team. He dealt with the difficulties and limits of passing. Even ethical debates about what to show and what not to show during critical and tragic hours is that any mistake could lead to the death of the victims.
Jennings, in charge of narrating, microphone in hand, everything he could see from the press building, was accompanied by only one producer, Jeff Mason (John Magaro). The latter is the first to hear gunshots in the nearby gaming arena. And also to understand the seriousness of what is happening. Something that puts him in contact with ABC North America headquarters and eventually with the President of ABC Sport (Peter Sarsgaard). Thus, he gets permission to broadcast what is happening, despite the fact that he is not a news team. The director then delves into each participant’s decisions about how to tell the story of the terrorist event. Should they limit themselves to what they see through the cameras? Offer a political or ethical point of view?
September 5 highlights the team’s ability to become the most direct witness to an event that was, of necessity, destined to become historical. From trying to understand who the terrorists are, what their requests are and what their actions will be, to ensuring that all this information is disseminated accordingly. The film is an intelligent meditation on news ethics. But at the same time, the scope of direct responsibility of journalists and reporters to the public is expanding. A question that is becoming increasingly important as The hostage situation becomes more unpredictable and violent.
Interesting production
Unlike other similar premises, September 5 examines a group of leading journalists as fallible men and women. Thus, the dynamics in the newsroom are full of last-minute decisions—sometimes wrong ones—friction and even fights. However, step by step, the group will realize that their work is the only way for most of the world to know what is happening. So they take responsibility beyond professional ego, knowledge and political perspectives.
To capture the frantic, chaotic atmosphere of the moment, director of photography Markus Förderer focused on creating an honest vision of journalism. This ranges from messy rooms and offices, shouting conversations, to decisions that involve almost heated debates about differing opinions. The camera moves from one side to the other, at times becoming subjective and at the same time a kind of privileged witness to everything that happens. An element that adds interest to the central idea of the film.
In the midst of this whirlwind occurs a human drama that… September 5 He does not neglect or hide. Much of the film’s success lies in the fact that it portrays an extremely serious historical event from a very unusual point of view. In particular, show how information can become a way for the world to research a future historical event. The enormous responsibility that the film emphasizes and which in the end it becomes a crucial plot point.
Source: Hiper Textual
