Beyond Belief - 9/11 Widows Take Action

Beth Murphy's Documentary of U.S. Women Helping Women in Afghanistan

Oct 22, 2009

Two pregnant women in America are widowed by the 9/11 attack on the U.S. In their grief, they refuse to give in to terror and reach out to aid widows in Afghanistan.

Beth Murphy's documentary about two 9/11 widows is an emotional journey. Both Susan Retik and Patti Quigley were pregnant when their husbands' planes were flown into the World Trace Center towers. Their very human struggles back towards wholeness and healing is seen throughout Ms. Murphy's film. Patti talks about post-traumatic stress but how there is also post-traumatic growth. Both women find one another and embark on a journey to move beyond their own grief and reach out to the widows in Afghanistan. One of their first endeavors is to go on a bicycle ride to promote fundraising for the women in Afghanistan who are mired in poverty and repression. They received donations from over 1600 donors for that one bicycle ride and become more determined than ever to continue reaching out.

Documentary of 9/11 Widows Shattered Lives Becoming New Awakening

Because Susan and Patti are very different women, their journeys are different as well. Patti tends to put on the brakes when her bike is heading downhill, but she is fearless about travelling to Afghanistan. Susan is freewheeling, but concerned about the fate of her children should anything happen to her while visiting the widows overseas. But they are united in putting their energies into helping their children and wanting to help women in another land who are being harmed by the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. They develop a plan to help the women widowed by war become independent via a program that will teach them how to be entrepreneurs. Clementina Cantoni of CARE meets with both Susan and Patti to discuss her agency's ongoing work with the women in Kabul. She encourages them to visit the women themselves, believing they will learn more from face-to-face contact.

Beth Murphy's Film Shows the Commonality of Grief and the Destruction of War

Eventually the women do travel to Afghanistan to meet with the women they are trying to help. For Susan, this is the first time in her life she has ever been in a Third World Country, and it is shocking for her to see the poverty and limited opportunities for people, the lack of resources, the amount of suffering and death in that country. But the commonality of being touched by death and war brings the women together. Contrasting what these women lack with their own lives of relative luxury gives the Americans a renewed sense of purpose. Taking control of their lives after a random act of violence disrupted their hopes and dreams requires a tenacious spirit. Ultimately, each woman moves on in her life in her own way, on her own terms. Through home movies, the husbands become real people to the audience and are part of the journey of the women; the impact of the tragedy is felt keenly. A beautiful montage of brave women in difficult circumstances with a positive message of hope - be sure to have tissues handy.

The copyright of the article Beyond Belief - 9/11 Widows Take Action in Socio-Political Documentaries is owned by Barbara DeGrande. Permission to republish Beyond Belief - 9/11 Widows Take Action in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.