Arguably,
he is the best known passenger of the most tragically famous commercial flight
in American history. He was one of the
heroes (yes, that is the appropriate word) who sacrificed their lives to
sabotage their hijackers’ heinous plan for United flight 93. Yet, the example of Mark Bingham’s life
continues to inspire Americans, beyond the fateful events culminating in that
Pennsylvania field. Not content to let
one moment define Bingham, Scott Gracheff presents a comprehensive and highly
personal documentary portrait of the increasingly symbolic man throughout The Rugby Player (trailer here), which fittingly
screens this solemn day as part of NewFest 2013 in New York.
Bingham
and close friend Todd Sarner (who served as Rugby’s
technical advisor) often had video cameras on-hand to record life’s
highlights and lowlights as they happened.
As a result, Gracheff had a wealth of candid footage of Bingham, from
his middle school years up until his final weeks. Raised by his single mother, Alice Hoagland,
Bingham was a dutiful son, who always tried to shield her from the worst of his
meatheaded student pranks. In high school,
he took to rugby like a fish to water, playing in leagues all his life. During college, he was a reserve on Cal’s
championship team and was elected president of his fraternity. He was also gay, which is why Rugby screens as part of NewFest.
As
an enthusiastic high school, college, and club rugby player, Bingham has become
a role model for athletic GLTB community members, both in and out of the
closet. As a supporter of John McCain’s
2000 presidential campaign, he has also become an inspiration to Log Cabin
Republicans (a fact that does not seem to interest Gracheff much). Regardless,
the film conscientiously maintains an intimate focus on Bingham and Hoagland,
who tirelessly advocates for increased airline safety and GLTB rights. As a result, audiences will feel they have a
very real sense of who Bingham was as an individual.
Indeed,
it is critically important to document the stories of 9-11 on a personal level. Watching Rugby
Player will help viewers understand the pain resulting from Bingham’s
senseless murder. Then multiply that by
over 3,000.
