22-year-old Dylan Avery’s wish to delve into the reasons behind the 9/11
attacks led to him making Loose Change, a documentary that involves some
very compelling conspiracy-theorising. It is also bolstered by some
impressively persuasive evidence.
Since the first edition appeared on the internet in April 2005, it has
maintained its position as one of Google Video's top 100. By placing his film
on the internet, Avery (of Oneonta, New York) has reached millions
of viewers looking for another side to the story, while spending just $8000 on
the first and second editions of the flick itself.
The inspiration for Loose Change came from a photograph of a
controlled building explosion seen alongside the collapse of the Twin Towers; the similarities
were too obvious for Avery to ignore. As he puts it, he "just started asking
honest questions" about what really went on. Discussing his concerns with his childhood friend (and later the film's
producer) Korey Rowe, an army specialist who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, just made him
more determined to investigate what he saw as the strange cover-ups surrounding
the day's events.
In the run-up to the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks this month,
it seems that everyone is talking about Oliver Stone's cinematic contribution
to the debate, World Trade Center, which is out on September 29th.
Those familiar with Stone's work may be expecting conspiracy theories and
political comment on a grand scale. However, in a recent interview with Empire
magazine, Stone insists that his work is "just one little story." Instead,
those in search of an alternative view of the events of 9/11 have been looking
to Avery's Loose Change.
The film takes the insufficiency of official explanations and assurances
as a given, and explains this by alleging that the government set up the
attacks itself. He validates his points by dissecting the authorised line on
what happened on each plane, and at each site. For instance, many witnesses of
the WTC collapse reported multiple explosions in the buildings, but these
claims have been refuted by the 9/11 Commission.
He also looks at the damage
done to the Pentagon by Flight 77. The plane seems to have disappeared into a 20-foot hole, leaving no trace of
its 124-foot wingspan on the building? Avery concludes that it was more
likely that a missile hit the building. Other allegations include the
government being forewarned of the event, and the suspicious lack of plane
debris at the site of the United 93 crash. Avery delves into all of these
issues, citing official documents, expert advice and eyewitness reports along
the way.
Predictably, there has been a sizeable backlash against the movie, not
least because the first edition contained a fair few inaccuracies. However,
Avery and his team responded to such complaints and issued a further edition. They are now in talks with several major movie
studios about releasing a third and "final cut" of the film on
September 11th, 2006. There are high hopes for Loose Change;
Avery says, "We're aiming for Sundance next year."
Whether his provocative
treatment of such inflammatory subject matter agrees with your or not, it's
undoubtedly a must-see. As Avery himself puts it, "I hate... crazy conspiracy
theorists," but, he also wants to see "these bastards... brought to justice." The
case put forward in Loose Change is riveting viewing, and will stay with
you for a long time.
Click here to view Loose Change.
To contact the author: suchandrika@gmail.com
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