To be honest, before I watched this movie, my knowledge of 911 only stayed in the part I learned about the history in middle school, and I didn't know anything about the whole process and story. A few minutes into the movie, I expected it to be at least a potentially boring documentary film without distorting historical facts, or a typical 2 hour long story of American heroism. Unexpectedly, as the film drew to a close, I continued to be silent and heartbroken by the historical tragedy and touching story presented in this film.
Watching this film made me rethink the relationship between religion and terrorism. As history advances to the present, religion and terrorism, two concepts that should not be related, have been forced to establish a complex and sad connection. We take for granted that terrorism cannot be excused for any reason, and not even religion can and should not be complicit in evil. Religion is the sustenance of people's beliefs. In fact, people must have some beliefs, otherwise life will be dark and hopeless. Atheists also just believe in different things like science and wisdom. Terrorism grows only when this difference is not respected, but is used as a justification for mutual elimination on both sides. Unfortunately, today's extremist religiousism has hijacked faith itself, and all humanity.
I didn't plan to write a film review, but I felt very heavy when I saw the news a few days ago (the Taliban beheading an Afghan women's volleyball player), so I decided to sort out my thoughts. Although I don't want to be a very "political" person and want to stay away from some of the complexities caused by human beings, as a person with human rights, a woman, and a bystander, every time I see such news, I still feel sad and indignant. I think it was because I deeply felt that my life, thousands of miles away from Afghanistan, seemed to be plundered along with the fate of those unfortunate women. So I hate terrorism, I hate everything that disrupts stability.
In the movie, as the terrorists recite the Koran on the plane and pray that their hijacking will be successful, the passengers are making the hardest and most desperate decision, making a final determination to stand up for their right to life. And this contrast makes the whole thing even more tragic. Watching tragic characters struggle needlessly makes this dramatic irony even more brutal when you already know that tragedy will happen. And watching the political news that always repeats the tragedy is equally cruel, watching human beings commit suicide, watching civilization regress, watching individuals suffer systematic persecution, knowing that they are powerless.
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