One of the cool things about the Middleburg Film Festival is how open it is. You can walk around the cozy little town, and the resort hotel at the heart of it, and meet the filmmakers and actors from the movies you’ve come to see, and just have a conversation with them. I ran into John Magaro multiple times at the festival this year, and each time he pressed on me to see his new movie, September 5. It had been my plan to, but just couldn’t find a way to fit it in. John’s a cool guy; very down to earth, a big sports fan, and he loves to talk movies. I told him his rock music drama Not Fade Away was the first film I reviewed on my Cinema Royale podcast (which you can find here). He called that a “deep cut.”
Something else about John Magaro is that he LOVES to talk about September 5. I promised him that it would be top priority for me once the festival was over. Honestly, I shouldn’t have cleared time to see it much sooner because once it was over I could see why he was so pumped to talk about it. The film, which takes a look at the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack from the perspective of the ABC Sports news team broadcasting it to the country in real-time, is a true labor of love. A real pressure-cooker film that explores the ethical implications of their coverage and the hard work to get it right, is one of the best movies of the year with an incredible ensemble led by Magaro along with Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch.
It’s been a treat to watch September 5 pick up in critical buzz this awards season, and for Magaro’s performance. He’s been deserving of more notice for a long time, and now he’s finally starting to get it.
I had the pleasure of speaking with John Magaro and September 5 director Tim Fehlbaum about the film. Magaro revealed that he had been an extra on Steven Spielberg’s film Munich, and how that prepared him for September 5. Fehlbaum talked about the process of capturing the distinct look and feel of the era, and what he wants people to take away from the film when they see it in theaters. They both talked about the extensive research that went into the movie, including talking with some of the people who were there. This interview was a blast.
September 5 is open in theaters now. Check out the interview below.
