A haunting doc about what happened on and after 9/11.

I was in a different world on 9/11, when I was in the “Thomas & Friends” and “Ed Edd N Eddy” phase. I didn’t know what was happening at the time. And I’m sorry I can provide any memories for you. But as I got older, I knew what was going on that day. Who were responsible for the attacks, and how many people died on the planes and at the World Trade Center. This is horrific and devastating, and tributes are very important in honoring the heroes and victims.

A few months ago, I came around to watch Paul Greengrass’ 2006 9/11 drama “United 93.” It was told from the perspectives of the passengers of the United Airlines Flight 93, which was the only flight to not hit the target (which was our nation’s capital), but told the lives of everyone on board when it crashed in the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. No known actors at the time were used (we would eventually know who Olivia Thrilby and Liza Colon-Zayas later on), and I thought it was an exhilarating film that exploited nothing and honored a lot.

Right now, as the anniversary of that faithful day approaches, I came across the Netflix doc “Turning Point: Generation 9/11,” which is less about the traumatic and emotional reactions about what happened and more about what happened next in America. The people who were born either a few years before 2001 or that year or after, and what the next generation unfolded for them. How politics were able to deal with the aftermath and chain of reactions. The innocent Muslims who are American citizens, and how they’re blamed for the attacks, especially since the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by Al-Qaeda and led by Osama bin Laden, who was in Afghanistan. And whether or not there would be a war in retaliation. And the War on Terror is an on-going war.

This doc also talks about ISIS, which and ICE, and those who believe that the attacks were just part of some conspiracy. And among the interviewees, Michael Smoak was five-years-old when he was sick and stayed at his grandmother’s house, and the 9/11 attacks were televised. In his adulthood, he became a U.S. Marine and saw his friends and Afghan victims die at the hands of an ISIS terrorist in Kabul. It’s unimaginable to acknowledge his sad story, and he tells his side as much as he can.

In one generation, people still remember what World War II has brought to them, and in another generation, people still remember what happened on 9/11. Any generation of wars or horrific events, people are able to pass down stories to others not born in those days. “Turning Point: Generation 9/11” shows us people who were very young when the attacks happened, and how they deal with what time unfolds for them. They either have loved ones they never got to know as their lives were taken away, or they join the U.S Army to help prevent more terrorism. Director Brian Knappenberger (who also directed previous “Turning Point” miniseries) speaks to those who need to talk about what has happened, and allows them to be as honest as they can be.

We don’t get all the analysis in the story, but we do get the reactions and they couldn’t be more emotional and consistent. We’re all in a time and place of fear and faith, and again, we need to be reminded of what has happened. We need to honor the ones whose lives were taken on September 11, and damn those responsible. And this doc shouldn’t be run of the mill. It should speak to those who are learning about what has happened, and it speaks with passion and honor.

Now Streaming on Netflix