Too much too soon?

The release of United 93 – the first Hollywood film about 9/11 – has sparked controversy in the US, as well as further afield in NZ. Directed by Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy), United 93 follows in real time the one flight which failed to reach its intended target, instead crashing in a Pennsylvania field and killing all on board. Subsequent cockpit voice recordings reveal an attempt to overpower the terrorists by a group of passengers. One of these passengers was Alan Beaven, a NZ environmental lawyer played in the film by British actor Simon Poland. “For me  personally, I’m not sure I’d go [to the film.] I think it would be a little too close to home,” says brother Ralph Beaven in Stuff. “I don’t want to go down that track again. It would be very emotionally charged, especially seeing someone else represent your brother.” United 93 opens in the US April 28.