THE STORY – “September 5” unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. Through this lens, “September 5” provides a powerful new perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time. At the heart of the story is Geoff, a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge. Together with Marianne, a German interpreter, Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumors spread, with the hostages’ lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass. How do you cover a situation like this if what the perpetrators want is the spotlight you give?
THE CAST – Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin & Leonie Benesch
THE TEAM – Tim Fehlbaum (Director/Writer) & Moritz Binder (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 91 Minutes
September 5th, 1972, was a turning point for many reasons. Over 100 million people tuned in to see the world’s first-ever live-broadcasted terrorist attack, and the foundations of news reporting changed forever. “September 5,” directed and written by Swedish filmmaker Tim Fehlbaum, successfully recaptures the horror, sense of urgency, small acts of heroism, and mistakes made during this pivotal moment in history all from the perspective of the sports broadcasting booth, which quickly had to adjust to real-world events as they were developing to cover a seemingly impossible news story in the middle of their Olympic sports coverage. Set against the 1972 Munich Olympics backdrop, the film immerses its audience in the intense atmosphere of a crisis that irrevocably transformed the media landscape by illuminating the profound moral and ethical quandaries journalists are often forced to confront during live news coverage.
“Septenber 5’s” distinctive approach of telling the events solely through the lens of the ABC sports broadcasting team distinguishes it from other conventional historical dramas. This unique perspective not only grounds the film in a deeply rooted human experience of everyday people caught up in unimaginable circumstances but also imbues the narrative with authenticity and immediacy, making it as gripping as it is intellectually stimulating.
John Magaro, fresh off of the popularity he has found after starring in last year’s Oscar Best Picture nominee “Past Lives,” delivers a remarkable performance as Geoff Mason, a young producer whose morals are severely tested as he navigates the harrowing task of covering the hostage crisis. Magaro is richly nuanced, grasping the internal struggle of a man caught between professional duty and moral conscience, especially as he butts heads with his Jewish colleague (Ben Chaplin), who understandably is shaken up and deeply emotional over the events taking place. Running the ship, though, is Roone Arledge, played with steely resolve and intelligence by Peter Sarsgaard. Under immense pressure from NBC to give their television slot over or to hand the story off to traditional news, Sarsgaard embodies the weight of the responsibility he feels towards those operating behind the scenes, solving problems under stress and having to make difficult decisions over what to show and not show as the rest of the world watches anxiously at home from their televisions. Leonie Benesch (“The Teachers’ Lounge”) plays Marianne, a German reporter at the station who faces scrutiny and is undervalued by her male co-workers every day. As the only person able to translate the real-time reports from the German authorities and news anchors to her colleagues, her role becomes indispensable to the broadcast, highlighting the crucial interplay between language and information in global news coverage.
Fehlbaum, along with his team, do a commendable job in their meticulous research and unwavering commitment to authenticity, which is evident in the production design and the seamless integration of archival footage. The story never leaves the broadcasting station, so the audience experiences the hostage situation as those in the booth did, through radio communication, what they saw on TV or heard from their colleagues secondhand. The film’s gritty, desaturated, handheld cinematography evokes the feeling of tension and uncertainty those covering the story must’ve been feeling while maintaining the period accuracy of movies shot at the time of the story taking place. The use of analog technology behind the scenes and flawless editing reinforces the chaotic energy that defined the broadcast for those who lived it, taking place only 100 yards away from where the hostage crisis was unfolding.
Reporter Peter Jennings (Benjamin Walker), whose live reporting during the crisis became a focal point of controversy when he urged his colleagues to use the term “guerrillas” instead of “terrorists” when describing the members of Black September for their role in the crisis, remains a complex ethical dilemma, reflecting an ever-evolving situation still unfolding in the Middle East today. Jennings’ proximity to the hostages may have allowed ABC to capture clear footage of the masked perpetrators, which was seen all over the world. Still, the editorial choices raised questions about the role of the media in shaping public perception during such events. As a result, “September 5” transcends mere historical recounting; it compels viewers to deeply consider the power and responsibility inherent in media coverage and the human. It provocatively interrogates the role of journalism in times of crisis, raising critical questions: Should unconfirmed information be broadcast? Is it ethical to air acts of violence live? Where does news coverage end and spectacle begin?
In many ways, “September 5” is a perfect companion piece to Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated “Munich,” which tells the aftermath of the Munich massacre. It remains a challenging film that asks as many thought-provoking questions and doesn’t offer any easy answers. Early in the film, it’s stated, “This is not about politics. It’s about emotions,” but where is the line drawn? These questions resonate as profoundly today as they did in 1972, making “September 5” a thrilling and essential viewing experience, blending outstanding performances with a gripping narrative, and a specific approach that powerfully examines media ethics and its impact on a global audience.
