United 93

A review of the 2006 feature-length movie by John R. Brooks

 
"United 93" is a film I never intended to see. I didn't need a refresher about the events of Sept. 11, 2001. I don't usually see films that are violent, upsetting and leave me with a knot in my stomach. And I wonder how the families of the people who died that day feel about "United 93."

Yet, I knew this film would most certainly depict a variety of important religious themes. We are familiar with the story. It pits people with different understandings of faith and the world in violent conflict. So, when I got an invitation to see an advance screening of "United 93," I decided to see it. Reluctantly.

What I saw was a riveting story of all of the horrible events of Sept. 11, with special attention to United Flight 93. That flight left Newark in the morning and was bound for San Francisco. We know it never made it to its original destination, crashing upside down in a field near Shanksville, Pa. — the only plane commandeered by terrorists that did not make it to its intended "target" — the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. There are no well-known stars in this movie. It was shot using mostly hand-held cameras to give the illusion of being "right there," which was effective. At times it seemed like I was watching a documentary of the day's event, and other times it was a dramatic presentation. I watched carefully and with a sense of dread as I waited for the moment at which the hijackers would take control of the plane. The performances were surprisingly good and realistic. I felt some of the terror the passengers and crew of United 93 felt. I also felt the rage of the passengers and crew as they fought unsuccessfully to take control of the plane in the movie's final moments.

We all know some of the flight crew members were murdered, and passengers were injured by the hijackers. Fortunately, the producers told this part of the story while sparing us a lot of the bloody details, though at times the film depicts violent behavior.

This film is full of religious references. It opens with the hijackers preparing to leave for the airport, praying, and reciting passages from the Quran. In various places the hijackers made several references to God; at one important point it showed several passengers reciting the Lord's Prayer interspersed with scenes of the hijackers reciting prayers of their own.

During the ride home I thought about what I had seen. I still wonder why. Why do some fanatics interpret the teachings of Islam and the Quran in a way that causes them to murder people, hijack jet planes and fly them into buildings? Or seek to destroy the United States, its government and its people? Has our response to these acts been appropriate or should we respond differently? The film brought all of these questions back to me again. And I still don't know why.

I thought about the time when I traveled to New York in December 2001 and saw up close the destroyed World Trade Center site. There was still a lot of rubble and visible destruction at the site. It was sobering to stand at that place and think about what had happened. There was some salvage work going on that day, yet it seemed so quiet, so peaceful.

I also remembered the day in 2003 when I was part of an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America delegation that met with various people in Israel and the West Bank. We visited a high-level Islamic cleric in Ramallah, a supreme judge. He spoke no English. But there was one memorable moment, and his anguished face said it all. He reached out and held ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson's hand, and through an interpreter told us all that Islam is not about violence and murder. I could see he wanted very badly to say that to us, and his words brought tears to the eyes of some of my companions who had been affected directly by the events of Sept. 11. To this day, I still remember that meeting, and I will never forget the face of our host. Nor will I forget the image of this Muslim leader and Bishop Hanson holding hands during that moment.

If there was one lesson I learned from those experiences, it's this: We must separate violent fanatics from reasonable, peaceful people. I have no doubt that most faithful Muslims honor their neighbors, respect others and work for the greater good. Very few would do harm to people whose beliefs are different than theirs.

We must also never forget what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. We must never forget the thousands of innocent people who were killed or injured.

The film brought some other serious concerns to mind. I want to know more about why this happened. I want to know what the Quran says. I want to know why people do terrible things to other people in the name of God. I want to know how Christians should respond to Islam. I want to find ways to spend more time in conversation rather than confrontation with people of faiths different than mine.

And finally, I want to know how we all can construct and live in a peaceful world, not one in which we live in fear of each other. We owe it to the people who died on United Flight 93 and to all of those who died that day to find the answers.

Note: Information and a variety of discussion resources about "United 93" are available at http://www.u93.org.

John R. Brooks is the Associate Executive Director and Director for ELCA News Services of the Communication Services unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.