WTC View

"WTC View" tells the story of a gay man, Eric (Michael Urie), living mere blocks from the World Trade Center, who places an ad looking for a roommate in The Village Voice on September 10, 2001.

Astoundingly enough, on September 12, he gets some replies.

The nation has been devastated, especially the millions of citizens who live in Manhattan; still, life goes on. Even though a shift in the winds can blow the lingering odor of tragedy into Eric's apartment, people in New York still need a place to live.

Ten years ago, writer, director and producer Brian Sloan adapted to video what was, for some, the best play in New York dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. Now, this film festival favorite is available for download on iTunes.

You might think that anyone who responds to an ad promising a view of the (now missing) World Trade Center towers the day (or even the week) after the terrorist attacks is a genuine lunatic, but the people who respond to Eric's ad are surprisingly normal.

There's an assistant concierge desperate to get out of his hotel, as he's stuck on a cot in the ballroom with his fellow workers. There's a trucking manager that's just a little too needy. And there's a political consultant who genuinely wants to support the city he was born and raised in.

Eric himself is the one who's actually starting to fall apart at the seams. He has a support system -- a concerned best friend who brings him food, an ex-lover who calls all the time, and a counseling hotline. But Eric ignores his anxiety and focuses on the task at hand: Finding a roommate.

In a way, the connections he makes with these random New Yorkers -- sharing stories with people who have their own fears and loses -- is the process that pulls him through these trying times.

Urie gives a compelling and nuanced performance as opposed to other members of the cast who tend to project their reactions a little too broadly. Historically and empathetically, this movie is interesting during the long conversations where people talk about their feelings -- but dramatically it is not.

With very little forward action in terms of plot, the major drama occurs when Eric avoids his feelings, substituting angst with sarcasm, anger and sexual release. But Sloan undermines these truly human moments by projecting sentimentality on them (like using a slow-motion, montage sequence backed by schmaltzy music during a sex scene).

"WTC View"
Digital Download
Not rated / 104 min.
Download through iTunes