‘Emotional train wreck’: Filming of Swissair Flight 111 movie hits close to home

Kris Holden-Ried, clad successful a acheronian pea overgarment and agleam reddish scarf, stands successful a spot of sunlight connected the borderline of Griffin’s Pond successful the Halifax Public Gardens, with the aboriginal greeting airy casting a glow connected him arsenic helium looks crossed the water.

The Canadian-born histrion isn’t taking successful the sights of the lush trees and municipality waterfowl — he’s shooting a movie successful which helium plays Saul, a bereaved begetter from Westchester, N.Y., precocious arrived in Halifax to place the remains of his lad killed successful the clang of Swissair Flight 111.

Set to premiere adjacent year, the movie “111” is simply a associated Canadian-Swiss accumulation that follows the interwoven stories of 4 radical successful the aftermath of the Sept. 2, 1998 Swissair clang adjacent Peggy’s Cove, N.S. The MD-11 pitchy plunged into the Atlantic Ocean astir 70 minutes into a regular formation from New York City to Geneva aft a occurrence broke retired successful the ceiling and caused respective strategy failures. All 229 radical connected committee were killed.

Director Mauro Mueller said the movie focuses connected people, not the clang itself, and connected the anticipation that emerges from grief.

“(The crash) is precise overmuch successful the consciousness of each the Swiss, but besides the Canadian (people),” Mueller said successful an on-set interrogation with The Canadian Press connected the crew’s past time of filming successful Nova Scotia. “We cognize what happened. It didn’t marque consciousness to truly dramatize the clang successful itself and the tragedy.”

In summation to Saul, the play follows 2 Swiss characters: 1 who loses her parent and a Swiss hose idiosyncratic who travels to Halifax after the clang arsenic portion of a attraction team. The movie besides follows immoderate of the Nova Scotia fishermen who were the archetypal ones connected the h2o to hunt for survivors.

Nova Scotia was particularly rocked by the crash. Several fishers raced retired to Peggy’s Cove — a celebrated tourer tract southwest of Halifax — arsenic soon arsenic they heard the thunderous roar of the level hitting the ocean, lone to instrumentality plagued by the horrors of the scene.

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Holden-Ried, who has besides appeared successful the tv bid “The Umbrella Academy,” said filming successful Nova Scotia added to the value of an already affectional project. Many of the locals helium spoke to erstwhile shooting successful Peggy’s Cove had a idiosyncratic communicative astir the tragedy. Hearing those stories, helium said, contributed to the consciousness of “enormous responsibility” of getting the movie done right.

“It’s an important portion of their lives and you tin archer the emotionality of the locals erstwhile they’re telling their stories,” helium said. “It’s capable region and it’s inactive a precise important portion of (people’s) lives and you tin tell, but they’re precise supportive. They’re blessed we’re shooting it here.”

The determination wasn’t the lone happening that tied the formed and unit straight to the tragedy. Björn Hering, a Swiss shaper connected the film, is the son-in-law of 1 of the pilots connected Swissair Flight 111’s past voyage.

Holden-Ried said those adjacent household ties made being connected acceptable an “emotional bid wreck.”

“We’re each crying each day,” helium said.

As a signifier of reprieve from dense scenes successful the film, the publication incorporates what the unit called “magic moments,” oregon abbreviated points successful the movie designed to connection the assemblage immoderate breathing room. Inspired by the magical realism often contiguous successful Latin American lit and film, Mueller said these moments are designed to “externalize the feeling of each quality successful a cardinal infinitesimal of the movie and cinematically visualize that moment.”

Other Nova Scotia sites featured successful the movie see the Halifax airport, Hatchet Lake, and Terence Bay. The remainder of the accumulation volition beryllium changeable successful Switzerland.

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