On the anniversary of 9/11, people are flocking to social media to highlight a movie which 'perfectly captures the feel and heartbreak'.
Today (Monday, 11 September) marks 22 years since nearly 3,000 people lost their lives as a result of four co-ordinated al-Qaeda attacks against the US.
While Americans gather around the country to commemorate loved ones, some are also reflecting on the deadliest terror attack by watching one particular movie which has been praised for capturing the 'immediate mood of New York city' in the days following the attacks. Catch the trailer here:
25th Hour - directed by Spike Lee and based on David Benioff's book The 25th Hour - follows the journey of Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) as he's about to go to prison to serve a seven-year sentence for dealing drugs.
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While the movie isn't directly centred around the events of 9/11, the drama unfolds in the days after the attacks and has been praised for how it captures the 'feel and heartbreak that convulsed the city'.
From the opening credit sequence - a montage of the Tribute in Light art installation comprising of 88 vertical searchlights beamed into the sky to remember all those lost, to a scene of dialogue with construction workers going through the site in search of bodies, the movie doesn't pretend the World Trade Center 'never existed'.
Other movies released in the wake of the tragedy indeed cut out images of the World Trade Center, but Lee did the opposite.
In an interview with GQ, he said: "Like New Yorkers or Americans aren’t strong enough to see the image of the World Trade Center anymore, which I thought was f**king ridiculous. I thought that was weak."
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In 25th Hour, Lee instead made New York City's grieving 'a character' within the film.
"I always felt art should reflect what's happening at the time. I was not going to run from that stuff. Hell no," he continues to GQ.
However, that doesn't mean Lee didn't proceed with extreme caution when trying to portray the aftermath of 9/11, telling The New York Times he knew it was 'still very painful' and 'will always be very painful for those who lost people'.
And people connected to the tragic day have appreciated Lee's filmmaking ever since, even taking to X 22 years on to praise 25th Hour's depiction of the city in the days which followed.
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An X user wrote: "I am sure there are movies which more effectively and comprehensively address #Sept11th but I don’t know if there is a film that better captures the immediate mood of New York City post-9/11 better than Spike Lee’s The 25th Hour."
"I will never forget that morning, when I was a fresh, 23-year-old New Yorker of only ~14 months," another commented. "Check in with a loved one today…not sure what else I can say. And perhaps grieve and reflect watching Spike Lee’s 25th Hour..."
And a third said: "The music and visuals of the opening credits of '25th Hour' directed by Spike Lee perfectly captures the feel and heartbreak that convulsed the city in the days and weeks afterwards. The pain that permeated the city in the aftermath was so palpable it was indescribable."
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If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Topics: Film and TV, US News, News