A really in-depth and thorough view of 9/11. I think so many of us have seen documentaries or at least coverage on September 11 but not so much the aftermath and 19 years of war. Astounding but somewhat conceivable at the same time how Congress only had 1 person challenge the decision to give Bush an open mandate to declare a broad war on Terror. Hindsight is also 20/20. It shows how critical foreign policy is and how no robust strategy or plan has emerged over 19 years. I found this a very sobering documentary, there were no winners in this. The world paid a dear price with this deadly attack and its plagued us in various forms and countries ever since.
139 Reviews
Never forget
sarbassubs2 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Very informative and balanced series that, for once, looks into the history of the afghan region long before the war on terror even began which gave great context for the timeline. I don't agree with other reviews that Obama and Biden was portrayed favorably compared to Bush/Trump. Instead showed that Obama's acceleration into the drone program clearly depicted that it was an ineffective measure in war, killing thousands of civilian women and children, but also the effect it has to the survivors of those attacks. It also showed Obama's failure in closing down GITMO and encouragement in regards to continuing mass surveillance of the american people.
Substantial and extensive
Porphyry2 September 2021
Pretty extensive history, starting with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and ending with the Americans leaving in 2021. Some political figures and veterans who were involved comment. Consequences of the war and political decisions are discussed.
Overall this documentary was substantial and well-researched as far as I can tell. One remark: I wish it would have covered some backstory on the pilots and their radicalisation in Germany.
Overall this documentary was substantial and well-researched as far as I can tell. One remark: I wish it would have covered some backstory on the pilots and their radicalisation in Germany.
No winning for anyone.
mylesgeorge-a4 September 2021
Probably the most comprehensive documentary about 9/11 and the aftermath
u-keles2 September 2021
Turning Point is probably the most comprehensive documentary about 9/11 and the aftermath. You will listen to a lot of different voices in this documentary and not just "the experts". Its subject coverage is also very wide. Humanitarian, political, economic, military, psychological; quite many aspects of the event is being discussed during the 6 episodes. Satisfying and not overwhelming. Great project!
20 years later and people need to still remember
cmosebiz2 September 2021
Not many lessons learned.
nigelmacdonald-9717319 September 2021
A lot of the main information presented in a messy and at times shallow way
JurijFedorov6 January 2022
The doc series overall and is really strong. It takes you from Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda, to his terror attacks, 9/11, Irak, Afghanistan. 60% of this series is about Afghanistan. It's always a very short intro to all topics. For example, they go a tiny bit into how CIA and FBI dropped the ball and allowed terrorists to train in USA and later hijack planes. All while they actually had info on them. But it's just a very short statement about how CIA and FBI didn't share information. There is no deep dive, no agent names are given, it's never fully explained, what information? This is how all info is presented. I knew about 80% of this stuff already and always felt like it was lacking more details. It jumps from point to point and not really explaining anything that clearly.
It's a good doc series. A lot of strong interviews, recordings, points, good information. I did enjoy it and got quite a bit from it. It ties together all the points about the US army, CIA, FBI, Afghanistan, the White House, and media in a tight package. It could have been about CIA only in this conflict and could have been much stronger for it as it would allow for a deeper dive, but I guess they just wanted a fast overview for Americans who didn't quite follow the media on this. Hell, even the Bush lies about Saddam Hussein's WMDs are presented in a shallow way in relation to media. The media actually did an awful job and made it all possible. But the doc just decides to show that via 2 very short clips lasting maybe 30 seconds. That's it. No NYT or Washington Post blindly believing George W. Bush. It was actually a huge deal back then and a shocking reveal. There is just no way in hell any average viewer can possibly understand what point the doc was ACTUALLY making about the media screwing up. It's not a lie, it's not deceit, but clearly the producers made a choice to not make the media look terrible here and instead attacked the White House.
One of my main issues is how they seem to pick bad guys. For example, Bush is evil, bad, arrogant, destructive. Obama is making difficult decisions. Trump is a hateful, ignorant bigot who supports Taliban. Biden is just pulling out troops. So Bush and Trump are making gigantic mistakes and getting people killed. Obama and Biden are kinda just unlucky and don't make any big decisions. I really wish this doc went harder after them, especially Biden. I dislike Bush, and so does Netflix, but maybe they should have hired outside critics who dislike Biden to look into his mistakes to make the last episode stronger. The last episode are the main conclusions making the prior episodes make sense plot wise. But since it's a Biden episode they go super soft here and just overlook the mistakes that made the war a disaster overall.
In prior episodes the Afghanistan war was seen as evil because of Bush. But then as soon as Obama appears and he supports the war the doc suddenly calls it a good war helping people. Now a good president is supporting it so it must be good. And then as Trump wants to pull out the troops he is seen as the devil for stopping a "good war". As Biden pulls out troops nothing much is said. At the end we have a lot of points about how strong the Afghan forces are, how great fighters they are, how many women are getting an education, how great the war was. But then what about the Taliban forces taking over the country? They just showed it happen, but didn't really make that into a big deal as that's on Biden. The US budget that didn't go to defense largely went to educating women and putting them in power. This is seen a victory and worth 20 years and trillions, but how much of that remains? Women were educated into becoming Western feminists and "strong women leaders" who didn't follow the Quran passages about women. Clearly an antithesis to not just Taliban, but even just regular Muslims. There are no "feminist fighter" roles in a primitive society. So the doc at the very end claiming USA has created a feminist paradise with female leaders and female university students seems questionable when you consider the fact that they themselves just showed how Taliban has taken over the country.
Honestly, I was giving a big benefit to the initial episodes. They constantly claimed the Afghanistan war was overall a win of sorts. But I just assumed those were episodes from before Biden. So I figured once Biden screwed up and the newer episodes were made the doc would turn more realistic and negative about the situation. Nope, quite the opposite. As I said, as soon as they move from Trump to Biden the tone shifts from "Taliban supporter president" into "Mission Accomplished" stuff which they don't really prove. They don't even tell us how many had to flee Afghanistan to not get killed. Female sports teams had to either flee or likely lose their lives. Of course the doc message about an overall win cannot be correct because Taliban is still right now creating new restrictions. So what culture war is won here when we don't even know the ending of the conflict? And the claim about making the population healthier is also weird. 20 years have passed. Taliban could have made some progress too even with their primitive structures. They could have bought a bit of modern equipment for hospitals. Instead you have hospitals and universities that Taliban bombs because they are seen as too Western. You could have built this all for 1000th of the price if you worked with Taliban instead of starting this war. Or this feminist progress could have been made in another more willing country without a war. I'm sure Ukraine and India are willing to take US money.
The doc starts out really strong. It becomes weaker as it moves to Obama and Afghanistan as it doesn't dare or want to be as critical towards his goals and politics. From then on it becomes a bit too biased. But the properly critical Bush episodes are really great and are very much worth a watch. Obama and Biden not getting the same critique is a bit weak. And Trump being presented as someone who practically supports Taliban is just insane. It would be better if the same critical voice was used for all aspects of the war and USA.
It's a good doc series. A lot of strong interviews, recordings, points, good information. I did enjoy it and got quite a bit from it. It ties together all the points about the US army, CIA, FBI, Afghanistan, the White House, and media in a tight package. It could have been about CIA only in this conflict and could have been much stronger for it as it would allow for a deeper dive, but I guess they just wanted a fast overview for Americans who didn't quite follow the media on this. Hell, even the Bush lies about Saddam Hussein's WMDs are presented in a shallow way in relation to media. The media actually did an awful job and made it all possible. But the doc just decides to show that via 2 very short clips lasting maybe 30 seconds. That's it. No NYT or Washington Post blindly believing George W. Bush. It was actually a huge deal back then and a shocking reveal. There is just no way in hell any average viewer can possibly understand what point the doc was ACTUALLY making about the media screwing up. It's not a lie, it's not deceit, but clearly the producers made a choice to not make the media look terrible here and instead attacked the White House.
One of my main issues is how they seem to pick bad guys. For example, Bush is evil, bad, arrogant, destructive. Obama is making difficult decisions. Trump is a hateful, ignorant bigot who supports Taliban. Biden is just pulling out troops. So Bush and Trump are making gigantic mistakes and getting people killed. Obama and Biden are kinda just unlucky and don't make any big decisions. I really wish this doc went harder after them, especially Biden. I dislike Bush, and so does Netflix, but maybe they should have hired outside critics who dislike Biden to look into his mistakes to make the last episode stronger. The last episode are the main conclusions making the prior episodes make sense plot wise. But since it's a Biden episode they go super soft here and just overlook the mistakes that made the war a disaster overall.
In prior episodes the Afghanistan war was seen as evil because of Bush. But then as soon as Obama appears and he supports the war the doc suddenly calls it a good war helping people. Now a good president is supporting it so it must be good. And then as Trump wants to pull out the troops he is seen as the devil for stopping a "good war". As Biden pulls out troops nothing much is said. At the end we have a lot of points about how strong the Afghan forces are, how great fighters they are, how many women are getting an education, how great the war was. But then what about the Taliban forces taking over the country? They just showed it happen, but didn't really make that into a big deal as that's on Biden. The US budget that didn't go to defense largely went to educating women and putting them in power. This is seen a victory and worth 20 years and trillions, but how much of that remains? Women were educated into becoming Western feminists and "strong women leaders" who didn't follow the Quran passages about women. Clearly an antithesis to not just Taliban, but even just regular Muslims. There are no "feminist fighter" roles in a primitive society. So the doc at the very end claiming USA has created a feminist paradise with female leaders and female university students seems questionable when you consider the fact that they themselves just showed how Taliban has taken over the country.
Honestly, I was giving a big benefit to the initial episodes. They constantly claimed the Afghanistan war was overall a win of sorts. But I just assumed those were episodes from before Biden. So I figured once Biden screwed up and the newer episodes were made the doc would turn more realistic and negative about the situation. Nope, quite the opposite. As I said, as soon as they move from Trump to Biden the tone shifts from "Taliban supporter president" into "Mission Accomplished" stuff which they don't really prove. They don't even tell us how many had to flee Afghanistan to not get killed. Female sports teams had to either flee or likely lose their lives. Of course the doc message about an overall win cannot be correct because Taliban is still right now creating new restrictions. So what culture war is won here when we don't even know the ending of the conflict? And the claim about making the population healthier is also weird. 20 years have passed. Taliban could have made some progress too even with their primitive structures. They could have bought a bit of modern equipment for hospitals. Instead you have hospitals and universities that Taliban bombs because they are seen as too Western. You could have built this all for 1000th of the price if you worked with Taliban instead of starting this war. Or this feminist progress could have been made in another more willing country without a war. I'm sure Ukraine and India are willing to take US money.
The doc starts out really strong. It becomes weaker as it moves to Obama and Afghanistan as it doesn't dare or want to be as critical towards his goals and politics. From then on it becomes a bit too biased. But the properly critical Bush episodes are really great and are very much worth a watch. Obama and Biden not getting the same critique is a bit weak. And Trump being presented as someone who practically supports Taliban is just insane. It would be better if the same critical voice was used for all aspects of the war and USA.
World history as a bad high school drama
edwin-wks7 September 2021
Once upon a time, there were these two jocks (full of muscle but s**t for brains) who had to one-up each other and see who has the bigger cojones. One is a psychopath (Russia) and the other is a narcissist (America). Somehow they had teamed up to defeat a common thorn in their side (Germany) and each ended up briefly dating the conjoined Korean twins. Of course they had to sow discord between the twins, indoctrinating them with their respective ideologies. Russia later flirted with Vietnam and America was like, "Not on my watch". It was an ugly love triangle.
Not long after Vietnam, Russia, like a horny teenager, made a move on Afghanistan. America obviously had to spoil Russia's party and come to Afghanistan's rescue like a knight in shining armour. America saved Afghanistan from being violated by Russia. Russia then went through a meltdown. But fear not, trouble was brewing within the Islamic society over the distribution of Adderall. Iraq tried to seize Kuwait's share of Adderall. America, horrified at the potential disruption to the Adderall supply chain, stepped in and fended off Iraq on Kuwait's behalf. What a guy.
This drew the attention of the new bad boy of Islamic society, Al Qaeda, who did not appreciate America meddling in Islamic affairs. So Al orchestrated an elaborate plot to invade America's home and destroy America's pride - his high school trophies. America was livid; Russia had a massive case of schadenfreude. To save face, America decided to strike back. See, Al had been cosying up to Afghanistan's tyrannical patriarch, the Taliban, and living under their roof. America then exposed Al Qaeda and Taliban for their misdemeanors, and got them kicked out of home.
Afghanistan was grateful that she gets to do whatever she wanted at home again, without the watchful eye of the Taliban. High on adrenaline, America was looking for another fight and his gaze settled on Iraq. Time for some unfinished business. Afghanistan, in the meantime, like a damsel in distress, could not decide whether she loves America or not, "Is he my liberator or is he another oppressor?". Why don't we find out by inviting the Taliban back home? Not to be outdone, Russia has been doing some shady things in the Crimea and Syria. These two bad boys are hellbent on leaving their skid marks all over the world.
Not long after Vietnam, Russia, like a horny teenager, made a move on Afghanistan. America obviously had to spoil Russia's party and come to Afghanistan's rescue like a knight in shining armour. America saved Afghanistan from being violated by Russia. Russia then went through a meltdown. But fear not, trouble was brewing within the Islamic society over the distribution of Adderall. Iraq tried to seize Kuwait's share of Adderall. America, horrified at the potential disruption to the Adderall supply chain, stepped in and fended off Iraq on Kuwait's behalf. What a guy.
This drew the attention of the new bad boy of Islamic society, Al Qaeda, who did not appreciate America meddling in Islamic affairs. So Al orchestrated an elaborate plot to invade America's home and destroy America's pride - his high school trophies. America was livid; Russia had a massive case of schadenfreude. To save face, America decided to strike back. See, Al had been cosying up to Afghanistan's tyrannical patriarch, the Taliban, and living under their roof. America then exposed Al Qaeda and Taliban for their misdemeanors, and got them kicked out of home.
Afghanistan was grateful that she gets to do whatever she wanted at home again, without the watchful eye of the Taliban. High on adrenaline, America was looking for another fight and his gaze settled on Iraq. Time for some unfinished business. Afghanistan, in the meantime, like a damsel in distress, could not decide whether she loves America or not, "Is he my liberator or is he another oppressor?". Why don't we find out by inviting the Taliban back home? Not to be outdone, Russia has been doing some shady things in the Crimea and Syria. These two bad boys are hellbent on leaving their skid marks all over the world.
A must see!
WaAnNiTe3 September 2021
I have to say I cannot remember the last time I have been this touched by a documentary. It tells a story starting with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and ending with the Americans leaving after 20 years of war.
The footage from September 11 was truly harrowing, the interviews were interesting and very informative. I was especially touched by the veterans.
The footage from September 11 was truly harrowing, the interviews were interesting and very informative. I was especially touched by the veterans.
This is why other countries hate America
AaronRush98 September 2021
Looking from the outside and how the American government failed to control a war killing innocent Iraq citizens and American soldiers for no reason at all 9/11 is one thing and a terrible thing but what this doc does right is the dirty side of the country America thinks its the only and best country in the world thats its fault.
'leftist' for some US viewers = 'relatively unbiased' for the world
Ar_Pharazon_the_golden17 September 2021
This is a fairly well-researched account of the events that eventually led to 9/11, and more so of what an absolute mess the aftermath was.
What this means is that the makers do not shy away from what is of course a universally known truth - that Islamic fundamentalism was fostered, nurtured and funded by the USA. It does pick a somewhat convenient starting point - the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which was itself the culmination of a series of coups and counter-coups, but it does show how the pattern remains the same since then: no one in power cares about the long-term consequences of their actions.
This is also evident when discussing the war in Afghanistan: most inverviewees agree that there was no clear goal there whatsoever - despite of whether they agree that there was reason to go to war, the plan of action was non-existent. Indeed, apart from eventually assassinating bin Laden, almost nothing that the US did in Afghanistan had anything to do with 9/11.
By the way, the series is quite critical of Obama, so I am not sure what some reviewers are arguing about. That it criticises Bush first? That's not leftist propaganda, people. Bush and his cronies (and anyone else you want, Obama, Trump, just add a name to the list and you'll probably be right) are guilty of crimes against humanity - this is a pretty widely accepted view worldwide.
The political analysis aside, it would be a mistake not to point out that it also manages to give a respectful and harrowing account of the 9/11 attacks themselves. But it is a terrible mistake to stick to this only. The signs were all there then. Other signs all here now.
What this means is that the makers do not shy away from what is of course a universally known truth - that Islamic fundamentalism was fostered, nurtured and funded by the USA. It does pick a somewhat convenient starting point - the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which was itself the culmination of a series of coups and counter-coups, but it does show how the pattern remains the same since then: no one in power cares about the long-term consequences of their actions.
This is also evident when discussing the war in Afghanistan: most inverviewees agree that there was no clear goal there whatsoever - despite of whether they agree that there was reason to go to war, the plan of action was non-existent. Indeed, apart from eventually assassinating bin Laden, almost nothing that the US did in Afghanistan had anything to do with 9/11.
By the way, the series is quite critical of Obama, so I am not sure what some reviewers are arguing about. That it criticises Bush first? That's not leftist propaganda, people. Bush and his cronies (and anyone else you want, Obama, Trump, just add a name to the list and you'll probably be right) are guilty of crimes against humanity - this is a pretty widely accepted view worldwide.
The political analysis aside, it would be a mistake not to point out that it also manages to give a respectful and harrowing account of the 9/11 attacks themselves. But it is a terrible mistake to stick to this only. The signs were all there then. Other signs all here now.
Decent documentary
PennywiseFA2 September 2021
Tremendously Biased
technopriest2 September 2021
Never Forget.
katefrichardson2 September 2021
Everyone knows where they were and what they were doing when the unthinkable happened on 9/11/01. Certain scenes/clips/stories in this series that I hadn't necessarily seen before in the media brought me to tears... and right back to how WE felt THAT day.
Albeit a bit biased (IMHO) considering the politics, but I'm not biased on politics either; I just felt like it was leaning more on one side and not the other. Regardless, this series is informative and well worth the watch.
Albeit a bit biased (IMHO) considering the politics, but I'm not biased on politics either; I just felt like it was leaning more on one side and not the other. Regardless, this series is informative and well worth the watch.
For everyone saying this is biased not one reviewer has left a comment as to why the doc isn't showing the truth
elizrug17 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The last 20 years has been a complete clustercuss, and the blame has to be put somewhere, and that somewhere is, unfortunately on the USA. If they hadn't have intervened in Afghanistan in the 90s and then left the country to fall apart none of this would have happened. It was all about keeping the Soviets from gaining control, but then screw the Afghanis once that was accomplished. What a better environment to see the rise of terrorists than in a highly unstable, uneducated and religious one. So yeah, it's biased in the fact that it all could have been prevented.
This docu-series is enlightening. I personally learned a lot which changed how I feel about things. After everything I have read on the war in Afghanistan and Afghanistan prior to the USAmerican invasion, I feel this docu-series is spot-on.
My only complaint is that it doesn't address the issue of the military industrial complex.
This docu-series is enlightening. I personally learned a lot which changed how I feel about things. After everything I have read on the war in Afghanistan and Afghanistan prior to the USAmerican invasion, I feel this docu-series is spot-on.
My only complaint is that it doesn't address the issue of the military industrial complex.
True stuff
saini-jagjit3 September 2021
More honest than expected, I'm impressed.
vincenzo720 September 2021
Americans (even some liberals) typically have a hard time admitting the numerous human right violations that were committed by their government as part of its "War on Terror". I was worried that this would be a fictional story of American heroism but luckily, a diverse panel of interviewers from all sides makes this a reasonably balanced portrayal. Almost shocking given how ignorantly biased and self-centered many American "documentaries" on this topic are. The portrayal of 9/11 is well done. It's good to see it put into the larger context - both the before and after.
Monday morning quarterbacking
mls41823 September 2021
Hindsight serves two purposes: 1) to learn from our mistakes, what worked and what didn't and 2) an opportunity for people to express faux moral outrage decades after the fact to feel superior and victimized. We were at WAR. A new kind of war and one on OUR SOIL.
This documentary offers a bit of both. The most important point this program makes is the horrid suffering of innocent Afghanis caught in the middle.
A better documentary is National Geographic's 911: One Day in America.
This documentary offers a bit of both. The most important point this program makes is the horrid suffering of innocent Afghanis caught in the middle.
A better documentary is National Geographic's 911: One Day in America.
apart from the...
ops-525353 September 2021
French production that gave you the inside of the 9/11 following a surtain firestation crew that stumbles into the carnage of the world trade center, this netflix documentary called ''turning point'' gives you, unless your a conspirazy rider, the best insight of the whole matter, lots of new footage material, and tells the story from the 197's till 2021, and it doesnt stop here. Cause terror will always exsist as long as there are humans alive.
Do watch this serie, it takes you through all the phases of human crisis caused by 9/11, and should stay as a roadsign and curicullum for the old generation, and as a history lesson for the new...
a smashing 10 stars from the grumpy old man.
Do watch this serie, it takes you through all the phases of human crisis caused by 9/11, and should stay as a roadsign and curicullum for the old generation, and as a history lesson for the new...
a smashing 10 stars from the grumpy old man.
Conflicting
Calicodreamin3 September 2021
This series hits on some pretty deep topics, 9/11 and the war on terror. The result is a conflicting feeling, but in a good way, in that it challenges what was done but sticks to the truth and honors the survivors. A well made documentary that serves the facts and interviews relevant parties.
people watching but they not seeing
Lovelove213 September 2021
At least some of them. I ,kind of ,expected to see some comments here that I would totally disagree ,but never thought it would be that much. Movie called « turning point » so it's about what became turning point of events, that after 20 years ,we still can't stop or manage. Hate only bring hate, pain will bring pain. Nobody was avenged, because it's never gonna bring relief.9/11 it's still big unhealed wound, that will never gonna be healed while so much hate.and if you clothing eyes on obvious war crimes and justifies them, you gonna be part of this pain.
Great series
kamalbisher-9445114 October 2021
Shocking and upsetting!!! This American political documentary series explores how the catastrophic events of September 11 changed the course of the nation. It offers illuminating perspectives and personal stories about the background, the chronicle and the aftermath of the terrible catastrophe that shook the world and changed history forever. After 20 years, it is just enraging how this crisis still reverberates nowadays and it may seem like nothing has been accomplished throughout the years. Only pointless war and death.
Strangely biased
austingarcia-712822 September 2021
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