A drama-musical story which follows Elliott and Joni who their roads put them together in California after September 11 attacks. By luck, they find that both of them are folk musicians. They decided to make a musical journey to New York together.
Sung mainly by real-life folk musicians Joe Purdy and Amber Rubarth, the songs lend the film an emotional resonance that the forced dialogue often struggles to achieve.
Neither character is particularly compelling, nor are the goodhearted folk they meet along the way because It Was A Time When All Kinds of Americans Briefly Came Together and Heinz is only interested in pounding that idea home.
Only a few films over the years have tried to dramatize events leading up to or following 9/11. September 12th takes a modest but effective approach to that national tragedy.
With quirky characters met along the road, and as a visual love letter to the heartland, the film has a certain charm, and fans of folk music should be more than happy.
The actors are both accomplished folk musicians, so the music is amazing. The film is quiet and peaceful as they journey in a forced slow pace back to the epicenter.
