September 5

Greetings from Lithuania. "September 5" (2024) is a thriller that is very unique. It shows events that happened during infamous Olympic games in 1972 Munich. Its all done from the perspective of CBS, a TV company that aired it live. While on paper it might sound boring, its actually not as the tension is from the get go. You do get to see of how it transpired for journalists, as they were covering it live, while people lives were on stake. Its a gruel reminder of history that is very topical today.Overall, "September 5" is a very tense drama about real events. Its very well written acted and directed film that at its running time 1 h 34 min is perfectly paced. We only see the event and nothing more.

Meticulously constructed and well-acted dramatisation; lived up to the promise of its tense trailer!

Solid film particularly tense in later scenes but overall I felt a little disappointed due to the lack of tension and urgency. Good performances. Numerous nominations. WATCHED: 19th February 2025

A strange film released at the worst possible time. This recreation of the media coverage of the kidnapping of Israeli athletes by a Palestinian commando during the 1972 Munich Olympics is well-shot, well acted and striking in its depiction of the difficulties of doing live journalism in the 20th century. However, its exclusive focus on the media event leaves out any nuance of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which led to a humanitarian tragedy in Gaza. Well made but inadvertently tone-deaf to the current situation.

(Mauro Lanari) The Olympic truce was viable until the Games ceased to be a niche event, morphing into a mass phenomenon, a matter of custom, and a subject of planetary interest, fueled by advancing media technology. Once they ascended to become the greatest global stage, they could not fail to tempt anyone, including those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fehlbaum mastered a taut pacing within a claustrophobic context, respecting the 90-minute runtime; his story could not have held up for a longer duration. Blunders by ABC, German police, whoever else? What could have prepared anyone for dealing live with such an unprecedented event? Does it contribute to still-current questions? But since time immemorial, problems have existed no longer to be solved, but to coexist with them.