A Failure of Journalism: Tim Fehlbaum's September 5
September 5, directed and co-written by Swiss filmmaker Tim Fehlbaum, is a tricky movie to talk about. The film follows the sensationalist news cycle, skillfully showing how one major error in broadcasting shaped the current live news landscape. The backdrop of that message is the 1972 Munich Olympic attack, in which a group of Palestinian militants took the Israeli Olympic team hostage.
Set inside the ABC control room, the movie follows the ABC Sports crew on the ground at the Munich Olympics. After the crew hears gunshots one night and realizing they’re the closest ones to the scene, the sports team decides to take it upon themselves to report the incident, rather than calling in the news crew. Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) is the head of the control room, out to prove he can handle the task and all the problems that come with it. Aside from the occasional man-on-the-ground scene, the movie acts as a chamber piece playing out in the ABC Sports studio: a great call from Tim Fehlbaum. The film takes great care to reproduce every inch of the actual ABC studio and gives an almost behind-the-scenes look at live broadcast production in the ‘70s. Tensions in the studio rise as the team debates whether they should go further and continue showing the incident live. The room feels claustrophobic, and you can practically feel the sweat dripping down each character’s brow.
The film tries to ensure the audience knows it isn’t taking a political stance, but rather criticizing the handling of the subject matter. The sports crew makes numerous missteps: they incorrectly report the number of hostages freed and carelessly show these images for Americans to see. The team moves with a lack of tact that an actual news crew would consider in the situation, more concerned with their ratings and being the first on the scene. Fehlbaum makes his point clear: this is the world’s first televised terrorist incident and ultimately a failure of journalism. That failure opened the door for shootings and graphic content to be shown on basic cable and network television, ultimately leading to the same content being readily available with a tap of your phone.
Always a favorite, John Magaro shines here. The weight of the world is on Geoffrey’s shoulders and you can see it in his eyes as he paces around, trying to coordinate with his team and manage the live feed. In a particularly riveting moment, Geoffrey has to cut an interview short because CBS has a designated time slot to use the satellite broadcasting the feed to America. The stress of the moment and split-second thinking to share the feed with an overlay of the ABC logo was calculated, and you can almost hear the gears turning in his brain. Where others might have played this role in a larger and louder way, Magaro’s subdued approach aids in the tense feel of the movie.
Leonie Benesch (known for TV shows like Babylon Berlin and The Crown) is another standout of the movie as Marianne Gebhardt, a German woman who starts off as a translator for the crew and quickly works her way into being one of the most important assets to the production. Her nimble performance balances out the chaos of the rest of the ABC crew, oftentimes seeming like the smartest person in the room. But aside from Magaro and Benesch, the other stars play this movie exactly how you’d expect them to. The script doesn’t call for much from the supporting cast like Peter Sarsgaard, who plays the hard-nosed president of ABC Sports breathing down Magaro’s neck and trying to make sure the people above him are happy.
September 5 is at its best when it tries to mimic the anxious nature of its predecessors. Sidney Lumet is clearly an inspiration, but even though September 5 aims about as high as it can it still ends up seeming more akin to the mid-2000s HBO made-for-TV counterpart to a Lumet film. Cursed by unfortunate timing and even more unfortunate world events, September 5 does its best to stand out. It’s not a crowd-pleaser, but if you’re willing to play ball, it’s still a taut and tense thriller.
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Blake Williams has a B.A. in Film and Television Production from Ball State University. He aspires to one day be a director, but until that day comes you can find him at a showing of whatever's playing that day or at home alphabetizing a shelf of movies and games and muttering about how he should "slow down on spending."