A movie about the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center is now in post-production and set to come out in 2006.
But is the American public prepared to relive the events, emotions and horror that was — and for some, still is — 9/11?
Lyudmila Fazylova, a freshman from New York City, was in her freshman year at Stuyvesant High School when the Twin Towers fell.
Her school, located uncomfortably close to the Towers, was evacuated immediately on 9/11, and Fazylova, then 14 years old, experienced firsthand what many saw only through their television screens.
The movie, “World Trade Center,” will be based on the true story of two Port Authority officers who were the last survivors saved from the rubble — John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno. Their experience, and the experiences of those who loved them and who worked to save them, will be the focus of the movie, which was directed by Oliver Stone.
Asked how she felt about the making of the movie, Fazylova said, “Families are still sensitive, I’m still sensitive. I wouldn’t go see it because I still haven’t gotten over it, and I don’t need to relive a traumatic experience. I can’t even watch television clippings to this day.”
Still, she said, “people who weren’t there, or close to the action, won’t mind seeing it.”
It’s been over four years, but what is four years when, as sophomore Emily Cogburn from Franklin, Wis., said, “We don’t even have all the facts about what really happened yet. They should wait a few more years.”
When asked whether she was personally affected by 9/11, Cogburn admitted to having “felt pretty far-removed from it,” unlike Fazylova.
Cogburn said she is interested in seeing the film, though she understands why it might be perceived as insensitive.
Other Binghamton students who live in New York state and were also affected by the events of 9/11 have mixed feelings about the film.
“I think it’s a good idea,” said Amy Snyder, a freshman from Suffern, N.Y. “It’ll show those who didn’t have much empathy or weren’t as close to really feel for it.”
Alexandra Gordon, a freshman from Hartsdale, N.Y. didn’t think it was such a good idea.
“It’s too soon,” Gordon said. “It’s tasteless.”
Despite her feelings, she admitted to wanting to see the film.
“It’ll be an experience,” said Hugo Pineda, a freshman from Port Washington, N.Y. And, he said, the movie will rekindle the feelings about 9/11 that people have “wrongly” forgotten.
Actor Nicholas Cage will play John McLoughlin and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal will play Mrs. Jimeno.