Aftermath: Unanswered Questions from 9/11

The fact that this program originated from the Guerrilla News Network should provide a strong clue about the attitude it takes toward the investigation of the 2001 terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center. Not surprisingly, the underlying assumption here is that important facts have been withheld from the public, suggesting the existence of dark, nefarious motives at work in upper-level agencies of various governments, including—of course—our own. The program poses relevant questions to 11 interviewees (lawyers, activists, university researchers, journalists, and a conspiracy-obsessed radio talk-show host), whose answers are presented in edited monologues that briefly outline their suspicions about the larger meaning of the events of 9/11. Sure to be seen as inflammatory, Aftermath is unlikely to sway many viewers, and will primarily appeal to those who already share its particular point of view. DVD extras include expanded footage of the interviews and a video of three subjects presenting longer statements and taking questions from an obviously likeminded audience (in many respects more compelling than the program itself). As a piece of activist agitation, Aftermath effectively serves its purpose (though even adherents may be bothered by the nonstop music pulsating on the soundtrack), but it's still only recommended for comprehensive collections of 9/11-related materials. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)