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September 11th, 2001 is the date of the most horrifically tragic event to ever
take place on American soil. It is more than just a date; it is a memory and it is a reminder of the innocent lives our country lost on that fateful morning. The topic of 9/11 is a very touchy one that will bring tears to ones eyes and chills to ones skin. It is a sensitive subject that even ten years later, many people do not wish to discuss it. What all of society does not realize, however, is the stories of those behind the flames and the terror. The stories of those who went to work like they would on any other day and as a result were never able to see their families or loved ones again. The stories of bravery and triumph on a day of pain and terror. The Film, The Lucky Ones, portrays the themes of love, loss, tragedy and triumph and intertwines them all, creating a masterpiece that nobody will want to miss. This film follows the lives of two main characters, Derek Eason and Sarah
Marguerite 4/30/12 12:33 AM Comment [1]: I made this sentence sound more formal, being that it is my intro sentence it had to sound stronger.
Carlisle, on the morning of September 11th, 2001. Derek is a twenty-six year old commodity trader in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. His smooth attitude, witty sense of humor and good looks alone are enough to captivate any audience. Immediately, this film has the audience wishing to jump into the television screen and warn this clueless, nave mind of the massacre that is about to occur. On the morning of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Derek arrives to work extra early and
decides that he wants to try out Windows on the World, the famously known
restaurant occupying the top two floors of the World Trade Centers North tower. It is this decision that leads him to Sarah, a beautiful twenty-three year old waitress who is working the breakfast shift on that particular morning. Sarahs laidback, mellow demeanor makes her instantly likable. Upon meeting, the two hit it off, and the sparks are undeniable. However, despite Dereks efforts, Sarah maintains a professional attitude in her work area and denies Derek the chance for another encounter with her. Instead, she tells him, they will leave it up to fate. In a stroke of luck, when the first plane crashes into the North tower at 8:46
a.m.,
Sarah
is
not
present.
Unbeknownst
to
Derek,
Sarah
regretted
not
giving
her
number
to
him
and
had
exited
work
while
on
break
to
find
him
in
his
office.
However,
when
seeing
the
film
through
Dereks
point
of
view,
he
assumes
that
Sarah
is
trapped
above
the
flames.
He
hears
people
scrambling
around,
but
announcements
on
the
loud
speakers
telling
everyone
to
remain
calm
and
inside
the
building
are
what
prevents
him
from
going
anywhere.
Nobody
in
the
building
is
aware
of
what
is
about
to
happen
next.
Derek
cannot
help
but
stare
in
awe
at
the
fiery
explosion
and
thick
clouds
of
smoke
engulfing
New
York
Citys
skyline.
The
only
things
on
his
mind
are
the
sound
of
the
voice
and
smile
on
the
face
of
the
beautiful
woman
whom
he
had
just
met
moments
earlier.
Dereks
coworkers
scramble
in
and
out
of
his
office
panicked
and
asking
questions,
but
the
only
thing
Derek
is
focused
on
is
the
fact
that
he
thinks
Sarah
may
be
dead.
At
9:03
a.m.
Dereks
thoughts
are
interrupted
when
the
second
plane
hits
the
South
tower,
impacting
the
floors
directly
below
his
office.
We
now
see
the
film
through
Sarahs
eyes,
who
is
Marguerite 4/30/12 8:39 AM
Comment [2]: I
added
in
the
rest
of
this
paragraph
because
I
felt
it
needed
more
detail.
You
had
pointed
out
to
me
that
I
somewhat
rushed
through
this
paragraph,
therefore
I
wanted
to
slow
it
down
and
provide
more
visual
detail.
outside
looking
up
at
the
explosions
in
both
buildings.
She
fears
for
the
lives
of
many
people
she
cares
about,
but
most
of
all
fears
that
Derek
is
trapped
above
the
flames
with
no
way
out.
The
audience
has
no
choice
but
to
assume
the
same
thing.
Sarah
attempts
to
run
inside
of
Tower
2
but
is
stopped
by
Port
Authority
Police
officers
who
are
attempting
a
safe,
smooth
evacuation.
The
audience
can
feel
Sarahs
emotion
as
she
screams
in
agony
and
sobs
helplessly.
The
mystery
of
weather
or
not
Derek
has
survived
the
second
plane
crash
makes
this
part
of
the
film
extremely
suspenseful.
Flashing
back
and
forth
between
two
characters
point
of
view
Marguerite 4/30/12 8:47 AM
Comment [3]: I
added
more
detail
here
as
well
so
that
this
part
of
my
description
made
sense.
I
did
not
want
to
rush
through
any
details,
I
want
my
audience
to
have
a
clear
picture
of
what
is
going
on
in
this
movie
and
this
scene
in
particular.
I
think
this
paragraph
is
much
stronger
than
it
was
in
my
original
paper.
throughout the film is what allows the audience to gain a sense of different perspectives on the truly unbearable sight of the Twin Towers being attacked that day. Throughout the film, many people are seen jumping out of windows to escape smoke. Every single one of Sarahs coworkers is killed in the collapse of the twin towers. A group of Dereks friends and coworkers are all killed instantly when the second plane crashes into the South tower. By the end of this film, after much anticipation and suspense, Derek escapes through the one stairwell in the South tower that is not severed by the attack. He is one of the twenty survivors who made it out through this stairwell on that day (Smith 1). He is one of forty people in total out of hundreds and hundreds who was above the floors of impact that did not fall, burn, or crush to their death. These are people who should truly consider themselves lucky. It is through this somewhat happy ending that the audience can clearly see where the title The Lucky Ones comes into play. When he exits the tower moments before it crumbles to the ground, Derek spots Sarah in the distance. The
two reunite in the midst of chaos and actually bring a sense of happiness and warmth to this emotional, tragic story.
This film depicts one of many potential survivor tales that the world does not know about. It will have tears streaming down your face by the time Derek makes it out of the building, only to see Sarah in the distance. It is a film that has the audience rooting for our two main characters, hoping that they will both live to see each other again one day. However, do not watch this movie thinking it will be all happy endings. This is a film revolving around the most devastating attack on American soil from a foreign organization in the history of mankind. Graphic images of innocent civilians terrified, horrified and running for their lives are depicted in order to show viewers how much chaos and struggle took place in New York City on that day. The Lucky Ones is so realistic that it is guaranteed to stir up emotion in anyone who watches it. The theme of love overcoming evil even in hopeless, painful situations is what draws people in, and that is exactly what this film depicts. It is a story of triumph, even if it is only triumph for a small number of people. It is a love story and an action film in one, keeping the audience constantly guessing and rooting for the main characters to live. Do not miss out on The Lucky Ones, coming to theaters near you July 3rd! WORK CITED:
Marguerite 4/30/12 9:01 AM Comment [4]: I tried really hard to take out any sort of conclusion elements from the paragraph. In my original paper I kind of summed up my conclusion and my last detailed paragraph into one, and I sounded very repetitive. Here, I tried to make this paragraph strictly about details of the plot of the film, rather than including sentences that should be in my conclusion.
Smith, Thomas C. "9/11 Memorial Timeline." 9/11 Memorial Timeline. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. <http://timeline.national911memorial.org/>.