As is the case with so many tragedies that defy comprehension, there seems to be a limitless supply of stories, many still waiting to be told, about the 9/11 attacks. “Out of the Clear Blue Sky” emphasizes at the outset that this is only one of them, focusing primarily on the loss of life that took place in the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald… Through tastefully conducted interviews with CEO Howard Lutnick and several dozen surviving employees and family members, the film is a testament to human resilience, showing “how broken hearts can heal each other.”… Gardner’s film is almost elliptical in nature, lacking any overt narrative or clear structure. This approach lends the proceedings an intimate, diary-like quality that acutely conveys the trauma experienced by its subjects following the attacks, and what’s most affecting is the recognition of private and public pain and how the barrier between the two was shattered by the extremely public nature of this mass-death spectacle… In telling this story, “Out of the Clear Blue Sky” presents an ideal recourse for people who must begin their lives anew, and by de-emphasizing politics in favor of humanitarianism, Gardner’s work also suggests how Americans might yet unify even as the world around them threatens to tear itself apart.
Slant Magazine