From the Ground Up 2011
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Beth Gage and George Gage
Directed by Beth Gage and George Gage
DVD, color, 30 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
American Studies, Death and Dying, Sociology, Women’s Studies, Psychology, Peace Studies, Violence and Terrorism
Date Entered: 03/14/2012
Reviewed by Sarah B. Cornell, Daniel Webster CollegeFrom the Ground Up provides a fresh look at the individual consequences of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York. The short film succeeds because it focuses on five firefighters’ widows whose stories bring an overwhelming tragedy to a comprehensible scale.
The women describe their personal paths through disbelief and grief toward making the most of this life as a “testament” to those who died. Each woman stresses how committed her husband was to their family, their city, and their profession, but clearly that commitment was not his alone. These five have founded group homes for people with autism, funded a library, told their story on tours of Ground Zero, visited widows of the Rwandan genocide, and established the Tunnel-to-Towers Foundation and annual run/walk.
From the Ground Up underscores the fact that a decade later, the stories of September 11 are not just about the events of that day but about how survivors turned grief into action. By focusing on community building, interior strength, and determination, the filmmakers suggest that anyone, not just the wives of fallen firefighters, can “go out and do something positive in their name.”
Highly recommended.
Awards:
- Best Short Documentary, Staten Island Film Festival