Movie Review/World Trade Center free essay sample

World Trade Center Oliver Stone has done other movies that have been based on traumatic events in our history, ex. JFK, he used a somewhat different approach on this one. Most of his films deal with the whole story touching on most every event that occurred. In World Trade Center he centered on the true events that surrounded 2 survivors. What I knew about 9/11 was basically like a summery on a book cover, I had no details of the real people that such a tragic event happened to. John McLoughlin (Cage) and Will Jimeno (Pena) were 2 of the last survivors found alive, number 18 and 19 out of 20. The attention to these men was in detail although it did not go into great detail of the attack. It started as any normal day any of us would have, the alarm goes off, he gets up, checks in on the kids then gets coffee and out the door. His wife gave no clue that she was awake, no goodbyes. His work day at Port Authority started out typical as the initial attack began. The call came in for addition officers, with no details, a group of officers were sent to ground zero to rescue survivors. As they pull up in the bus, they see a victim lying on the sidewalk. McLoughlin (Cage) takes them to The North Tower, telling them to stay together, and partner up. This is when they see the confusion, and emotional turmoil of the people on the ground. They see people jumping from the building to escape certain death from the fire, smoke and dust that billowed from high above. Still not knowing the details, McLoughlin (Cage) asks for volunteers to enter the building with him. 2 Briefly hesitant, he got his volunteers; they set out to get supplies. As they were going in, wounded were walking out, there was an eerie silence among them. When they got supplies, they went in to look for survivors, the building collapsed. McLoughlin (Cage) was able to save 1 man, 2 were killed while he and Jimeno (Pena) were trapped under concrete slabs. The 1 man (Dom) that survived would not leave his friend, Jimeno (Pena). While trying to rescue him there was a rumble and Dom was impaled on a steel rod. The movie was shot now mostly of these 2 men trying to encourage each other while fighting off dehydration and going to sleep. McLoughlin (Cage) told Jimeno (Pena) not to go to sleep because he may not wake up. In and out of consciousness both men talked about their families, McLoughlin (Cage) older with 4 children and obviously having an existential crisis to begin with, he had questions about his relationship with his wife (e. g. , Crisis Intervention Strategies, Richard James). Jimeno (Pena) and his wife a young couple with one little girl and another on the way. During this time both men prayed, one to God and one to St. Peter. At one point Jimeno (Pena) fell asleep and dreamed Jesus brought him a little of water. During this the film switches to a retired Marine, Dave Karnes, at work. When he sees what is happening he gets his hair cut, his fatigues and goes to ground zero. As discussed in The Logistics of Responding to Crisis and Disaster, SUV’s (Spontaneous Unexpected Volunteers) are not encouraged but in this case it was a blessing. As he searched for something, he came across another Marine at ground zero after others had been pulled out because of darkness. Jimeno (Pena) had been pulling on a pipe, that’s when Staff Sargent Karnes heard them. It was not an easy process to get them out, Jimeno (Pena) was so worried about McLoughlin (Cage) dying before they got to him, he wanted his leg cut off. As they got Jimeno (Pena) out, McLoughlin (Cage) was in and out of consciousness, thinking about his wife. He asked her if he loved her good enough, he 3 told her that somewhere along the way they stopped looking at each other. This can happen when work, children and unfinished kitchens take over your life. He heard her telling him to wake up, he had to finish the kitchen, when he finally saw her at the hospital he told her she kept him alive. When they did get him out; there were hundreds of volunteers there to hand him down from the rubble. So there you have it, number 18 and 19 were out, with the massive amount of destruction it is a miracle any made it out. Initially, I think this fits the definition of a situational crisis (Crisis Intervention Strategies, Richard James p. 13) it certainly was an extraordinary event that was not random but shocking. I also feel it was an existential crisis for John McLoughlin (Cage) due to the fact he had questions about his life, his wife and their relationship. Steps to alleviate the crisis, teaching skills and ways to develop resiliency that I would use would be much improved communication. Communication among governments, departments and security could help alleviate some of this. Although signs point to the Bush Administration as having knowledge of something type of attack, I would hope no one had any idea something of this magnitude was about to hit innocent people. In the case of Donna McLoughin, she had been told that he walked out and waved to everyone but in reality he was still in the rubble. Facts and communication important, having well informed employees, with a well thought out plan, who know where to get the facts need to be part of training. Workshops, training from all aspects of disaster management should be part of employee training. Coping skills should be taught by educating victims on what can be expected, what is â€Å"normal† responses to a crisis of this nature. Common reactions would be shock, disbelief, fear and grief. Some may suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and may have flashbacks. Anger is also a normal reaction, some may want anger management classes. This can also apply to crisis workers 4 as well as victims of a crisis. Education in stress relief and coping would help prevent burnout. How can we develop resiliency, how can we bounce back from a difficult experience? The American Psychology Association says that resilience is not a trait; it can be learned and developed. In a traumatic event disempowerment and disconnection are often felt by victims, recovery can’t be done in isolation (Trauma and Healing, Judith Herman, M. D. ). By developing supportive relationships at home, at work and with friends the healing process will begin. Accept help when you need it, when you see someone who is in need, offer help. Remember that you can’t change events, but you can change how you react to it. Adapt to change and accept that it is a part of life. Don’t avoid problems, be decisive. Look after yourself, be positive and learn ways to let go of anger. Meditation is a good way to relieve stress and restore balance.