The movies and documentaries about 9/11 that you want to have seen

9/11 is always a crazy day. For many, I think. That it's today already 18 years ago I also find it so bizarre to realize. There are simply (young) adults who only know this day from stories. I was 12 when it happened but I still remember it like it was yesterday. Less than a year before that, I had been to the Big Apple for the first time with my brother and parents, a city that felt intensely large.

That feeling has actually never really changed, but I could hardly realize that the city I had been to so recently, that this happened there.

18 years ago now, but fortunately and rightly so, far from forgotten. Every year around this time, there are many films, documentaries, and specials about 9/11 to see. Therefore, today I have compiled for you the best films and documentaries that show the fear, panic, chaos, all the emotions surrounding 9/11 well.

1. 9/11. This documentary came out in 2002, made by the French brothers Naudet. Many private images made by James Hanlon are used, who was in Manhattan on this day. So you follow how 9/11 was experienced from downtown NYC and it gives a good insight into how the firefighters went about their work. The towers from the inside are also seen a lot. Terrifying, but very impressive this documentary.

2. United 93. This film was in theaters in 2006. If you think Hollywood was trying to make a buck off the backs of the victims, you're wrong as far as this film is concerned. It follows the story of flight United 93, which was intended for the White House, but crashed in Pennsylvania. Only unknown actors, a conscious choice so you are not distracted from what it's about. These passengers were incredibly brave; the flight crashed because the passengers decided to overpower the terrorists.

3. 102 Minutes That Changed America. Documentary from the American History Channel that lasted exactly as long as the attack on the towers themselves: 102 minutes. Many images from New York itself, following everything from the moment the first tower is hit to the moment the second tower falls. The time often appears on screen in the form of a clock, giving you a good idea of how little time all this happened in. A lot of use of amateur footage without voice-overs (which I personally find a big plus).

4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Beautiful book, but also a beautiful film adaptation. As with 99% of the fallen, the book wins, but this certainly fits in the list. Maybe a bit of a Hollywood film, but I think it's a beautiful film that absolutely touched me. And I can imagine that the documentaries with the ‘real’ images can be very heavy to watch, so in that respect, the storyline of the little boy searching for his father is a nice ‘distraction’.

5. Fahrenheit 9/11. ‘Documentary’ made by Michael Moore. I put it in quotes because – although I often find his documentaries very good – Michael Moore is not always very objective in his documentaries. This doc goes deeper into the role of then-president George W. Bush, the decision to invade Iraq, and the role of the media in it. Certainly very interesting, but do keep a critical eye.