Moments of crisis sear our national consciousness. From assassinations to natural disasters, each generation recalls defining events. We remember where we were and who we were with at such shocking moments.
Artists and filmmakers often step into the gap to help us process our pain and deal with our conflicted emotions. While many may argue with Michael Moore’s politics, we have to admire his chutzpah in creating the Academy Award-winning doc, Bowling for Columbine. He attempted to address the culture of fear and violence that drags us all down. Moore’s grandstanding style stands in sharp contrast to the quiet, understated tone of Elephant. Director Gus van Sant approximates what it might have felt like inside Columbine High School. It is a slow, meditative movie that demonstrates how shocking gunfire can upend any mundane day.
We have had challenging moments throughout American history, when people respond to crises with courage and creativity. Ron Howard’s stirring recreation of Apollo 13 demonstrates the heroism that followed the haunting phrase, “Houston, we have a problem.” When their routine mission goes awry, the Apollo 13 crew must resort to human ingenuity to make their way home.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 put America on the edge of nuclear warfare. Thirteen Days offers a peek inside President John F. Kennedy’s tense negotiations with the Soviet Union. It brings White House history to life and reminds us how fragile peace remains.
United 93 recreates the harrowing events of Sept. 11, 2001, in gripping detail. The hand-held camera brings immediacy to the moment-by-moment decision making. Contrasting prayers are offered by the hijackers and the passengers of that doomed flight. United 93 is a stirring tribute to the collective courage of people who rally even in the face of certain death.
The haunting images of the 2004 Tsunami centered in Sumatra, and Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast supplanted Hollywood’s manufactured disaster flicks, such as Twister, Volcano and Armageddon. Two acclaimed documentaries show how much panic, profanity and profundity arise within crises.
Aspiring rapper Kim Roberts and her streetwise husband Scott stayed in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Trouble the Water begins with the raw footage captured by Kim with her modest home camera. As the water resides, we tour their decimated neighborhood in the historic Ninth Ward. Kim and Scott become stirring examples of hope and resolve.
In The Third Wave, Alison Thompson and a rag-tag group of volunteers descend upon Sri Lanka following the tsunami. Despite limited resources or formal training in disaster relief, their presence enables a seaside village to rebuild. This moving documentary also shows the ethical complications that arise in dispensing aid. We desperately need more everyday heroes, a third wave of compassion for a world in crisis.
