Fahrenheit 9/11 Fanning the flames of controversy

San Francisco Bay ViewAs a treat, all conference members were welcomed to a special viewing of Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11.” I had seen Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” last year, so I somewhat knew what to expect. After hearing that this documentary has won the Festival de Cannes, a.k.a. Cannes Film Festival’s most prestigious award, the Palme d’Or - the first documentary to win since 1956 - I was excited to see this film. You could even say that I was a little nervous. This is the kind of award that sets a director apart from everyone in his or her business.

Walking into the huge conference room, I began to get an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. I remembered how I had heard all this talk about how controversial this film was, and it just hit me. Something in my brain struck. I only thought I was ready to see this film, but then I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see it at all.

When the film started, there were a lot of things going through my mind. A lot of questions like, will this film be any good? Or will I like it? Or even how will I feel at the end after everything’s been said?

The film really made me think about some of the things that are going on in this land that we call “home.” The documentary addressed many curiously awkward situations which our president has been associated with, situations such as how certain insufficient oil companies were being supported by the Saudi Arabian royal family.

The film was very graphic toward the ending. It showed some clips of actual civilian casualties resulting from the bombing of Baghdad after 9/11. I can remember all the clips of the dead bodies of innocent men, women and children and how I covered my eyes at the sight of their lifeless forms. A solitary tear ran down my face.

The film also had its key humorous, yet reality check, moments. For example, Michael Moore spent a whole day trying to get members of Congress to enlist their children in the armed forces; sadly, he reported that only a few members of Congress actually had children in the armed forces.

The entire film is spectacular, in my opinion, and is a “should see film.” I stayed interested though the whole 116 minutes. And in these days, it’s hard to get movies like that. The film showed things that no one else has ever had the guts to address before. When the credits began to roll, I truly understood why Michael Moore won such an award of great honor.

After seeing the movie, I realized, once again, that everything isn’t what it seems to be. I am delighted to announce that “Fahrenheit 9/11” is available on DVD. If the film was this good, than I can’t even begin to imagine what the DVD, along with possible additional scenes, would be like.

With the 2004 Presidential Elections less than three weeks away, seeing this film could possibly persuade you whom you think would make the better president.