Remember When?

On September 11th, 2001, 420 emergency rescue personnel were killed in the line of duty. On September 11th, 2001, 125 Pentagon employees were killed in the line of duty. On September 11th, 2001, 87 passengers and crew on American Airlines Flight 11 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 60 passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 175 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 59 passengers and crew on American Airlines Flight 77 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 40 passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 93 were killed. On September 11th, 2001, 2268 World Trade Center occupants were killed.

Rather than write a melancholy memorial about the horrific day of September 11th, I would like to talk about the movie Remember Me. Believe it or not, they are very much related. Remember Me was released this past March, click HERE to watch the trailer if you wish. If you haven't seen the movie, and do not want me to spoil the ending...STOP READING NOW.

The ending to this romantic drama was a rather controversial topic. Last chance to stop reading! I warned you. Alright, well it turns out that 22 year-old Tyler, played by the famous Robert Pattinson, dies on the date September 11th, 2001 standing in his dads office on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center.

After the movie was released, the question arose: was it "too soon" to make a movie incorporating September 11th? Many were offended and felt that this movie used September 11th for a climactic ending, rather than paying it the respect it deserves. Personally, I feel that it was unnecessary and insensitive. The writers could have easily made Tyler die in another way, while still giving the audience a long lasting touch of despair. Why did the writers use September 11th when they knew it was still a tender topic?

Remember Me is rated PG13. Meaning people 13 and over are recommended to see this movie. Notice, that people 13 years or older lived through September 11th. Thus, they have a more personal experience and connection to the event. Given that, I feel that it was not YET appropriate to make a movie encompassing September 11th. I believe that until my generation has died, there is always going to be some sort of "elephant in the room" about September 11th, due to the abundance of people deeply affected by it. I'm not saying we shouldn't talk about it for the next sixty years, rather I mean that we should be very timid about how we bring up the event, given the huge amount of people personally impacted by it. I believe that it was not the right timing to make this movie. Once all of us have died, and the story of September 11th is written about in textbooks, I feel that then would be a more suitable release date for a movie like Remember Me.

It is now 2010, nine years after September 11th occurred. Is nine years "too soon" or not? What is the appropriate amount of time to wait until an event like September 11th is fully acceptable to talk about? I want to know what you think. Please comment! And feel free to disagree.