Arts & Culture

September 5
Where: In theatres
What: Movie, 95 mins.
When: Fri., Dec. 13
Genre: Historical Drama
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Director Tim Fehlbaum, portrays this tragically memorable day from a fresh point of view without losing the weight of events.

AS WE SHUDDER at Israel’s war with most of its neighbours and its continuing bombing of Gaza, September 5 reminds us of an apocryphal moment in this long-standing battle over Palestine. This historical drama, directed by Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony and Hell), tells the story of what is known as the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympics. The 20-hour standoff between Palestinian terrorists and the German Police is told from the vantage point of the ABC Sports control room.

September 5 is divergent from the Oscar-nominated Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg. That feature, released in 2005, focuses on the aftermath and retaliation in response to the terrorist attack.

This film starts with the setting of the table of what was happening in 1972. The first Olympics in Germany since the Holocaust, these games held a lot of weight for Germans, Israeli athletes and Jews around the world. Germany was trying to shed the memory of militancy in the world’s mind; this resulted in a diminished police presence in the athlete’s village. The image of soldiers patrolling the streets was not that far in the rearview, and they wanted some distance from that with the world watching.

The control room is the heart of this film. Peter Sarsgaard plays the infamous ABC executive Roone Arledge, who is credited with being a key part of ABC’s rise during the ’80s and ’90s, creating programs like Monday Night Fight Football, Nightline and 20/20. With the lead director off site at the time of the attack, he unexpectedly asks Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) to direct. The production team, known for covering sports, is thrown into the fire once it is confirmed that the Israeli athletes are being held hostage. Old technology almost feels like an ancillary character here, adding a particular texture to the story. The extensive use of ABC Sports archival footage makes the dramatization of this true story feel like it’s happening in real time. A German translator, Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), assists the ABC Sports team and serves as the unofficial pulse of hope for the German people.

Although we never see any shots from inside the rooms where the hostages are being held in the athlete village, the feeling of chaos is evident from the control room. Quick cuts between handheld shots provide a sense of uneasiness. Magaro’s performance is vulnerable with a touch of stoicism. His character is forced to make tough decisions with the knowledge that the world is watching, and the audience feels the gravity of every choice.

At the time, this was the most-watched live broadcast in human history, with 900 million viewers, more than had watched the moon landing three years prior. The German police attempted to sneak into the rooms where the Israeli athletes were being held, unaware that they were being broadcast live and that the terrorists were watching.

The emotional pressure is felt from all sides: the guilt from ABC Sports in feeling like their broadcast was helping the terrorist or the relief from the crew when they think the hostages are free.

September 5 is a tense telling of one of the most memorable moments in world history. The pacing of this film mirrors the emotions of the actual events, and with powerful performances throughout, this film is heavy but entertaining.