I went to see the movie Sully on Sunday, which I had been looking forward to for some weeks. I didn't plan specifically to see it on 9/11, that's just how it turned out. I’m really glad that I did.
As I sat down in the theater, it occurred to me that it was perhaps a bit odd that I was going to see a movie about an incident with an airplane in NYC on 9/11. But I kind of brushed it aside and settled in to watch.
(Note: I don't want to spoil the film for anyone, but since this is a pretty well known event, I don't think that’s too likely.)
About halfway into the movie, two things happened that in juxtaposition with watching it on 9/11 really stuck with me. The first was watching all of the ferry boats and helicopters speeding from all directions towards the jet sitting on the Hudson River where the passengers waited in rafts and on the wings of the aircraft. It reminded me of how everyone who was in a position to do so responded as quickly as they could (apparently some 1,200 people in all responded within 24 minutes according to the film), and in doing so, they managed to rescue every single person on that aircraft that day.
The second was when a character says in private to Sully and his co-pilot that New York really needed something good like this to happen, especially involving a plane.
At that line, an audible "Mmmm" rippled through the entire audience in that theater as it clicked universally with everyone, and what it meant to hear it on that day of all days.
I also greatly appreciated what Sully had to say at the public NTSB hearing, which was that what created that “miracle” on the Hudson that day was not just about him. He got the plane down safely (and not to minimize that, because it truly was an amazing feat), but once that was done, it was all of the first responders, the helicopter pilots, the rescue divers, the ferryboat captains and crew, and many others who also were part of that miracle. They did it together, and without all of those elements, it wouldn’t have turned out the way it did.
I don't watch the news on 9/11, because I frankly just can't bear to. However, this year I greatly appreciated watching in this film as everyone came together when the worst happened, and how it so very frequently brings out the best in us as human beings, no matter who we are or where we are from.
(Final note: I do highly recommend seeing Sully. It showed what else was happening to the key people in that incident, particularly when they weren’t in front of the media. I'd not be surprised if it garners another well-deserved Oscar nomination for Tom Hanks as well as one for Best Picture. Well worth seeing in the theater. If you do go to see it, make sure to stick around for the credits at the end to see some of the actual passengers, as well as the actual Sully and his wife. Fair warning for the inevitable onion-cutting ninjas that may have you reaching for a tissue.)