Customer Reviews

WTC View

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A room with a view. A fragile young man trying to coap with the greatest, most shocking tragedy of my time. An endless parade of phone calls and people at the door....

Eric needed a roommate before 9/11. But after 9/11 he really needs a roommate, a friend or anyone who can make him feel safe and secure.

Out Eric's room with a view, the view was that of the World Trade Center. Everyone who comes to view the apartment takes a look out the window. That view is never shown. Instead we are looking in at the faces looking out and we see what they are feeling.

Eric finds that everyone is so noncommital about renting the room. Does everyone know think life is so temporary that an apartment might be unnecessary? Are possible tennants really moving out of the city? Why does Eric keep raising the rent when he speaks with potential roommates? Does he actually want a roommate or is he actually operating on another agenda.

We know from his conversations with his friend and potential roommates that he broke up with his boyfriend recently because the boyfriend wanted them to move in together. Eric says that was crazy...it was too soon...he wasn't ready for that. All the while interviewing possible roommates, Eric may have been realizing that there are ample reasons for him to have moved in with his boyfriend---most notably life is short and unpredictable.

This film is noteworthy for the way it feels---it's a Broadway show on film and it really feels like a theater production. It is raw and very emotional.

Eric's roommate gave him notice that he would be moving out of his SoHo (south Manhattan) apartment, so Eric put an ad in the Village Voice for a new roommate. The date was September 10, 2001.

Over the next several weeks, Eric's phone rang constantly with people interested in the apartment, which they are stunned to learn has a "WTC View" (2005), about 12 blocks from "Ground Zero." Much has been written and portrayed about the apparent tough, grim determination of the residents of New York City in the weeks following 9/11. What this film shows, quite effectively through the characters in this film (including a diverse stream of potential roommates) is the raw emotion they each dealt with in some manner, dealing with lives that had changed dramatically by the events of that fateful day. As his visitors talk about their experiences, Eric tries to relate to their feelings, as he deals with his own repressed shock from witnessing the devastation, manifested in panic every time the lights flicker or he hears a siren in the night, and faces a personal loss he didn't realize would affect him. His best friend, Josie, suffers marital problems, with the uncertainty following the attacks clouding their plans to have a child. Eric also connects with one potential roommate who was in one of the towers on that day, but who ends up holding Eric throughout the night as the thoughts of the attack trigger one of his frequent panic attacks.

"WTC View" was written/directed/produced by gay novelist Brian Sloane, who first produced it for a New York City stage festival, using the same actors who appear in the film. The story is loosely based on true events, as he actually had advertised his downtown Manhattan apartment to share the day before the attacks.

In my opinion, the film is an understated yet emotionally powerful masterpiece, with remarkable performances from its cast of young actors. Although it takes place solely in Eric's apartment, it incorporates photos of the post-9/11 New York City in its segues between scenes, but wisely avoids any scenes of the attacks or Ground Zero. If you are going to see one "WTC" film this year, make it this one. Five bold stars out of five.

This is SO worth seeing. I was hesitant, thinking it would be a gloom-fest. But instead, I found myself very moved by a beautifully acted, written and photographed film. It really needs to be seen.
Each cast member was a joy to watch. (You may recognize the film's star from Ugly Betty, or you may not because he is so different in this film.) The dialogue was better than realistic, retaining the immediacy and energy from it's stage roots. The photography and colors were poetic. Rarely does such a human story get so well made. After seeing the DVD last Saturday, I e-mailed all my friends about it.
This is more than entertaining. When I see a film like this, I remember why I love movies so much. It is a real contribution to our culture.

I recently had a chance to screen this film with the director present. He said that his two inspirations for this movie came from Rear Window and Rosemary's Baby. Not exactly two films that come to mind when you think of a 9/11 movie. However, they are fitting. The main character in the movie is trapped in his apartment. We do not see the outside world until the last frame. His prospective tenants go and look out the window of the bedroom and we know what they are looking at without ever seeing it. We do not see it because it is not a movie about us. It is a movie about the characters on screen and their dealing with the tragedy. Writer /director Brian Sloan has captured almost every angle of reactions to that day. Perhaps the most interesting reaction comes from Alex(Nick Potenzieri), as someone who was actually in the tower when the plane hit. He has a positive look on life, and begins to look at everything differently. This movie would be fascinating enough if it were just about prospective roomates and their dealings with Septemeber 11 but it isn't. It becomes much more as we deal with Eric and how profoundly he was affected by that day. This movie is an intimate, moving portrayal of events that we all know, but in a much different way than we have ever seen. I highly reccomend it if you can find it to watch.

I must admit that processing emotions over the whole 9/11 incident and its aftermath has been a difficult process for me. This movie certainly helped me release some pent up and confused emotions.

Overall, I found this subtle film captivating with raw emotion and excellent acting. So much is dealt with when such a topic is approached and the chosen plot line of seeking a roommate for a premise was genius.

This must have been an overpowering experience in play form and the only reason I gave it 4 and not 5 stars is because it 90% succeeds as a transfer to film.

There are very few characters and the viewer must be prepared to think and absorb all the intensense emotions while viewing. As I stated, I found all the acting to be superior except for the female friend. She was the only one who made it appear as if she was still on a stage and taking cues from the director. I found her performance flat and so different from all the others.

Otherwise an exceptional film. This writer, producer and director Brian Sloan also made I THINK I DO - a wonderful gay romantic film that is one of my all time favorite gay movies. A very talented and inspired man here.

The DVD is completely satisfactory - it plays perfectly in every way. The story is poignant and moving. I don't know that I would describe it as comedy, although the story contains comic elements. I highly recommend this product to anyone who is interested in the subject matter.

I can't remember when I last saw a movie this compelling. Like most Americans, I was not in NYC on 9/11; I was actually so far removed - living in a small College town in Mississippi at that time. I hated living there; but the one day I was grateful to be there WAS 9/11. Even so, I was in a daze, but experienced it as one can only in the Deep South. At work, I remember passing by my secretary, typing at her desk just like any other day, while I & some others were running downstairs to watch the events on a TV; her words trailing in the air behind me that she didn't need to see the tragedy; "its all there already, in the Bible".

Since then, to try to get a handle on 9/11, I have spoken to a few who were in NYC on that day. Yet I have heard NOTHING depicting the raw emotions of the event like the characters in this movie. You immediately feel like you are there with them in this apartment, & nothing at all is separating you from them, as you silently experience the details of that day for each of them, and, above all, completely share the depths of their emotions, and how each has dealt with this tragedy, their own personal little hell.

This movie is so well-done; the actors, and especially the writer, is to be highly commended. So sad that this was pegged as a "Gay movie", which says so much about our stupid culture/marketing of films, etc. Yes, the characters are Gay and they are wonderful; but the audience is truly everyone. Thank you for making this incredible film.

The thing that stuck me most about this film were the similarities between the impact of the events of 9/11 on these young characters in 2001 and the impact of the AIDS epidemic on my generation in the 80's and 90's. I was especially aware of this while viewing the photos in the added features of the DVD. There was the grief, all the missing friends, the face masks, the votive candles, the paranoia...

Anyway, it was a vary moving film and spoke to me far more of peoples' experiences than all the media coverage at the time. I'm just sorry it took me so long to view it.

Kudos to all involved in this film.

I was expecting more visual interaction with the events of 911 on that day (inside & outside). The entire movie was shot inside the apt. with a little bit too much over-acting.
Couldn't really recomend anyone to see it.