This document discusses post-9/11 cinema and how films have attempted to make sense of and reflect on the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath. It provides definitions for terms like post-9/11 society and post-9/11 cinema. It then analyzes three films—War of the Worlds, The Hurt Locker, and Zero Dark Thirty—and how they portray American responses and attitudes in the post-9/11 era, such as rushing to war, struggles with reintegration, and debates around torture. The document aims to show how cinema can provide insight into the social and cultural experiences of its time.

1. FM2 – Section C
Comparative Analysis of TWO US
films from the same genre

2. Starter Task
How do you think people felt on the day of the 9/11
attacks?
How do you think people felt in the days following the
attacks?
How do you think people felt by October, when the
USA went to war with Afghanistan?

3. Starter Task
Note down definitions for
the following terms:
Post-9/11 Society
Post-9/11 CINEMA
Can you think of any films, books,
TV shows or other media products
that could be defined as “Post
9/11”?

4. Starter Task
Post-9/11 Society
The time after the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks, characterised by heightened suspicion of
non-Americans in the United States, increased
government efforts to address terrorism, and a
more aggressive American foreign policy
Post-9/11 CINEMA
Post 9/11 cinema is made up of films that depict the 9/11
attacks and their aftermath. Post 9/11 cinema is inspired by,
reflects and comments upon the social values, social attitudes
and American response to the 9/11 attacks and the
subsequent fallout. (War on Terror, Patriots Act etc)

5. Post 9/11 Media
Post-9/11
Media

6. Starter Task
What are the defining features of our ‘Post 9/11’ Society?
Longest war in US
Characteristics of
Post-9/11
Society
history
‘War on
Terror’
‘Patriots Act’
Terrorists - ‘Islamic
fundamentalism’
Increasingly
paranoid society
Growth of anti-
Islamic sentiment
Fear of future
attacks

7. Learning
Objectives Identify the role played in the publics
attempt to make sense of 9/11 and its
aftermath
Complete a case study on three films:
1. War of the Worlds (2005)
2. The Hurt Locker (2009)
3. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Evaluate our findings in a
detailed Blog Post

8. Making sense of 9/11
“In contemporary society, cinema has become a primary way
in which people gain knowledge about world events. Films
often go beyond news reports, showing in-depth, behind-the-scenes
footage.
In a much more profound way than other media, Cinema can
influence peoples’ emotions and feeling about war and what
political leaders should do about it”
Since 9/11, filmmakers have used their medium to
represent, challenge and try to make sense of the 9/11
attacks and subsequent aftermath
As a consequence, we can look these films and explore
how our society responded to the attacks and fallout

9. Making sense of 9/11
In his book, Markert states:
“Values within the wider society are reflected on
screen. This view asserts that society gives rise
to certain cultural forms and themes. After all,
people go to the movies because they can relate
to the storyline”
He goes on to say:
“Movies portray attitudes that pervade the social world
at the time the film is made. Movies, then, serve as a
window on the world that allows the viewer to gain
insight in to social beliefs”
These beliefs can also be ‘READ’ by future audiences as a sign of
what people where thinking at the time of the films production.

10. Making sense of 9/11
“Movies portray attitudes that pervade the social world at the time
the film is made”
What do you think this statement
means?
Like all media, Films are made by people who
are positioned within a particular culture and
society.
As we are ‘positioned’ within a society we
grow up being taught certain ideologies,
beliefs and ways of viewing the world
As a result, filmmakers world views inevitably
impact on how they represent the world
through their films
This is known as:
‘Cultural Experience’

11. Cultural Experience
Cultural Experience:
This is how our culture – our upbringing,
experiences and beliefs – affect our response
to a film.
Cultural Experience also relates to our
experiences within our culture and how these
experiences shape our world view (how we
see the world).
As filmmakers attempt to represent a certain
view of the world, their cultural experience
will influence what they put in their films

12. Cultural Experience
Note down a few words that identify and label the people in the images
below:

13. Cultural Experience
Our ‘Cultural Experience’ tells us that these people are:

14. Cultural Experience
However, people from a different ‘Cultural Experience’ could see these
people as:

15. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 1 – War of the Worlds (2005)
Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel
of the same name by H.G. Welles, ‘War of the Worlds’
depicts an alien invasion, beginning in New York City.
Read the article you have been given and
annotate what you think are the key points
What does the article say the film is really about?
War of the Worlds depicts a world in the immediate aftermath of an
‘outsider’ attack. The film shows a world in chaos were all social
norms and rules are subverted.
Characters act rashly and react to the events before they have
chance to make sense of them!

16. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 1 – War of the Worlds (2005)
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 the USA:
• Went to war with Afghanistan without complete
evidence of their involvement (Actions begin in
October ‘01)
• Passed the ‘Patriots Act’
• Immigration laws were made a lot more stringent
• Went to War with Iraq
• The war in Iraq was based on ‘Bad Intelligence’
that they had ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’
• This intelligence turned out to be FALSE
• Therefore it can be argued that the US / UK
reacted too quickly, based on an emotional
response, rather than a logical one

17. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 2 – Hurt Locker (2009)

18. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 2 – Hurt Locker (2009)
Katherine Bigelow’s ‘The Hurt Locker’ depicts a team of
bomb disposal experts as they attempt to rid 2004
Baghdad of IED (Improvised Explosive Devices)
The film is set during the heart of the Iraq war and
focuses on the conflict that takes place between the
soldiers.
The film also focuses upon difficulties soldiers face when
being reintegrated back in to US society, and their
experiences of Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).
Read the article you have been given and annotate what
you think are the key points

19. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 3 – Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

20. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 3 – Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Katherine Bigelow’s ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ is a fictionalised
version of the assault by US Marines that killed Osama
Bin Laden
The US Government are seen torturing prisoners of war
for information – a crime in war.
The film implies that the US government illegally tortured
prisoners of war to gain information
Information that lead them to the hiding place of Osama
Bin Laden.
Read the article you have been given and annotate what
you think are the key points

21. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 3 – Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

22. Cultural Experiences and
Hollywood
Case Study 3 – Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Films like Zero Dark Thirty reflect the American publics
desire for answers about their countries role in the War
on Terror
The film re-opened the debate in the USA about the use
of torture in war
Ultimately, Zero Dark Thirty was made at a time when
the war had been raging for over ten years, Bin Laden
just been killed, and the American Government was being
accused of torture
The film reflected peoples desires for answers and debate
about these topics

23. Plenary
Log on to the internet and research a ‘Post 9/11 film’
You must complete the following tasks:
1. Find a post 9/11 film you want to study
2. Identify the ways the film can be considered
‘Post 9/11’
3. Using Google, search the terms:
• ‘[film title] post 9/11 analysis’
4. Read at least TWO articles about your chosen
film and copy and paste quotes in to…
5. Create a detailed blog post of your findings (see
handout for extra guidance)