User Reviews

If you need your spirits lifted and/or you have lost your way then you absolutely need to watch this 84 minute documentary that provides the story of a real life tragedy when Operation Yellow Ribbon went into effect and the people from the tiny town (10,000 people) of Gander Newfoundland,Canada, showed what unselfish hospitality was truly like when terrorists struck the twin towers of New York City and the USA closed all of their airports.

The 10,000 people who reside in Gander welcomed with open arms and their purest love for the approximate 6,700 multi cultural passengers and flight crew(s) that literally fell out of the sky looking for a safe place to land, sleep and eat for the next few days while the tragedy of 9:11 in New York city was unfolding. You will hear the actual stories from both the survivors from all over the world whose planes landed in a place/country they had never heard or ever been in before called Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, as well as from many of the towns people of Gander Newfoundland, Canada.

This is an inspiring story that should be shown in all schools and church services as it truly shows the outpouring of kindness and care for our fellow mankind. A successful musical titled Come From Away made it to Broadway in 2017 and is still being shown today. It is an inspiring story filled with love and kindness out of the tragedy of 9:11 and so many lives that were tragically lost.

See it and you will also be touched and hopefully the world becomes a better place to live as a result in some small way due to the kindness of the people from Gander, Newfoundland, Canada.

A perfect 10 for 10 rating!

I just wept my way through this film. Nothing gets to me like kindness and this is a story of kindness in the midst of horrific tragedy. A must see documentary that will lift your heart. I give this film a 9 (superb) out of 10. {Documentary}

Such a wonderful documentary. The kindness of strangers. It was amazing to see how the community came together to help these people. Plane after plane landing it was heartbreaking to watch. Out of darkness comes light. Makes me proud to be a Canadian. A must watch.

Having been to Newfoundland I can attest to how wonderful the people are. Made me proud to be Canadian.

I'm not a sappy sad movie Watcher. I cried so many times through this movie. It is so wonderful to see how people can come together after such a tragedy and help each other in spite of all our differences.

"You Are Here" is a feature documentary that focuses on the actual people who were the inspiration for the worldwide hit musical, "Come From Away". It does not intend to exclude any individual due to their colour or ethnicity. Rather, it goes to great lengths to show how the kindness and generosity of a community - which is by reality almost entirely Irish-Canadian - rescued almost 7,000 passengers from around the world when their planes were forced to land in Gander during 9/11. These values of compassion, honour and respect are celebrated in the film and shines a light on the greatness and openness of spirit that is inherent in Newfoundland culture.

In a brief time it covers so much history, ground, personality, humanity. From contemporary footage of the chaos of the day, to quiet moments of people reflecting, to the full circle of the story returning from where it came, NYC. My Grandmother was from Glace Bay, not Gander, but the same generosity, kindness & fun & they do carry it with them wherever they go in the world & to whatever strangers they may meet. What I love most about the Ganderites, their guests & recounting & celebrating their stories is that it's such a great middle finger to those who caused the tragedy in the 1st place. It is moving because it is both memorial of loss but also a tribute to surviving. No wonder the stage production has become a global success, it lets us share, celebrate & remember both our grief & our humanity. Kiss the cod!

Heartwarming documentary highlights a different perspective on 9/11 by offering a sincere portrait of Newfoundlanders who opened their town & their hearts to thousands of stranded airline passengers.

I was expecting to watch a few minutes and be hit over the head with sentimentality.

I couldn't turn it off. Watched it again a month later.

Not sure I could sit through the play with that music... but the stories are wonderful.

A big middle finger to the terrorists, those who hate all Western society, and racism everywhere - including the orange buffoon.

9/11 - we will never forget - Canada and the US - friends forever...

Thank you Gander for showing us a great example in how to treat your neighbour. Thank you first responders for your courage.

Greetings again from the darkness. September 11, 2001 provided us examples of human nature at its worst, followed by human nature at its finest. Filmmaker Moze Mossenen begins with audio from the September 11 news reports playing over somber and beautiful shots of the Ground Zero memorial. We are immediately transported back to that fateful day, and the emotions come flowing back.

Rather than focus on the terrorists, Mr. Mossenen takes us to Gander, Newfoundland, a Canadian rock island on the far eastern shore of North America. A spectacular aerial view provides perspective for this remote village with a population of around 9000. Gander will forever be remembered as an example of human nature's finest. On September 11, 2001, when United States air space was closed, Gander airport became a landing spot and parking spot for 38 passenger planes.

We hear from Beverly Bass, an American Airlines Captain who was directed to land at Gander. We also hear from Air Traffic Controllers, passengers, and local Gander citizens, including a local TV personality and Police Chief Oz Fudge and Mayor Claude Elliot. One of the teachers at Gander Academy relays what it was like that day. The locals shared in the worldwide shock from the terrorist acts. They feared for their own safety as the breadth of the terror plan was unknown. They watched in wonder as plane after plane landed at their small airport. And finally, they kicked into gear realizing there were thousands of passengers on the planes ... each of whom were hungry, tired and frightened.

The "come from away" folks - Gander's terms for anyone from somewhere else - numbered 6700, nearly doubling the town's population. It took approximately 24 hours before the passengers could be taken from the planes, and in one of dozens of fascinating elements, we learn school buses are used for transport since the town only had 15 taxis. The local bus drivers were on strike, but all agreed to volunteer to drive the passengers to the churches, schools, and organizations providing shelter.

Mossenen does end up showing the footage of the planes hitting the towers, but it's important to know that this is a film of personal stories ... people doing extraordinarily kind things for those they don't know. The spirit of Gander was something to behold. Religious and cultural differences were overcome and hospitality was the norm. It's stunning to see the United States radar with zero planes in the air, but it's life-affirming to see folks serving those in need, expecting nothing in return.

The film excels while Gander citizens and the air passengers recollect those few days, but it loses a bit of steam towards the end. On the 10th anniversary of September 11, Irene Sackoff and David Heim began interviewing folks and collecting stories in order to write a musical of the events. And they succeeded. Yes, "Come From Away" became a Broadway hit, and the film shows those from Gander who made the trip to NYC to see the show. This is one time where the lights of Broadway pale in comparison to '101 ways to cook goulash'. The willingness to do what needed to be done is the inspirational message delivered by Gander. Neighborly love and generosity in the aftermath of tragedy turned this into a beautiful story ... the best of humanity. Moose stew anyone?

There's a 10-second segment with a black guy, but 99.9% of the movie is all about white people.

Not a single interview with any of the Indians, Africans, Asians, Latinos, or any non-white person who would have been on these flights.

It's a heartwarming story, but really quite conspicuous for those it excludes.

This is a story deserved of telling. Beautiful representation of Newfie culture and the efforts put in to supporting 6000 people displaced To the most random seeming place in Canada, during the suspension of air travel during 9/11. Beautiful stories. This is the message we need to perpetuate. As Mr Rogers say: 'look for the helpers'