Everyone remembers where he or she was on Sept. 11, 2001. when news broke that our country had been attacked. And students at Marquette University will not be able to forget what they were doing ten years later: watching the film, Rebirth.

Director Jim Whitaker’s, Rebirth made its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival as a longitudinal documentary that covers the grieving process of five people affected by 9/11.

The first of the five people featured is a woman named Ling.  Ling was one of the only survivors from an impact floor of the South Tower.  Throughout the film, we see her try and cope with severe third-degree burns all over her body.  Ling undergoes over 40 surgeries in her healing process.

The next story is Brian’s­.  He was a construction worker who was in the south tower when the north tower was hit.  Brian’s brother, a firefighter, was killed while risking his life to save others.  While excavating rubble with construction crews, Brian found what was left of his brother’s remains.  Brian was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the film documents his attempts to heal.

Tim was a fireman who survived the collapse of the towers, but lost his best friend, Terry, and 343 fellow firefighters.  Tim is forced to overcome the guilt he feels for being a surviving fireman.

Next, we meet a young woman named Tanya.  Her fiancé, Sergio, was a first responder in New York City and never came home from work that day.  Throughout the film, we see Tanya attempt to deal with the loss of her soulmate.  As time progresses, she begins to comes to terms with her loss, but struggles with the guilt of dating again and, eventually, staring a new family.
The final person introduced is Nick, who was just a young teen in 2011. His mother worked in one of the towers and died that fateful day.  As time progresses in the film, we see Nick turn into a young man and come to terms with loneliness.

Not only does the audience see the people in the film grow and heal, but the viewer also sees the reconstruction of the World Trade Center in a 35mm time-lapse film.  The dramatic visual changes paired with original music by Philip Glass were truly inspirational and unforgettable.