As a former journalist, I have never seen a movie so accurately convey the dichotomies of being a news reporter/editor/producer as what “September 5” manages to do.

The film is set on the titular date at the Munich Olympics in 1972, when terrorists took Israeli athletes hostage. Following the athletes has been depicted on film before by none other than Steven Spielberg, but “September 5” follows the ABC journalists covering the Olympics, mainly the producers calling the shots behind the scenes.

A lot of people are calling out the performances by Peter Sarsgaard and Ben Chaplin as two of the senior producers, but for me, John Magaro really steers the ship and did a fantastic job as a somewhat new producer coming in on a day that seemed like any other at the start.

It was especially fascinating to see this movie right as I heard the news that a ceasefire had been reached between Israel and Hamas. (I literally saw the news 15 minutes before the movie and watched the news to learn more as soon as I got home.)

Some parts of this may play as a propaganda piece to some audiences for Israel, but for me, it is more of a story about how journalists can be forced to lose their humanity in an effort to get a story and/or remain impartial.

Before the attack even happens, it is questioned whether or not one of the producers should air a segment on the Holocaust, as it would seem “too dark” in the midst of the Olympics coverage. Other dark conversations are had between the journalists throughout the film, such as what to do if they happen to capture a hostage being shot while live on air.

At a time where we have seen the turmoil in Gaza and Israel play out for nearly 500 days on our phones, it was fascinating to see how these journalists handled the first live coverage of a terrorist attack.

I will say it was not easy to watch at parts for me, and I imagine it might be worse for others who have had loved ones involved in terrorist attacks, war and genocide or been victim to those things themselves.

If you are curious, though, “September 5” is a tense drama that puts the power of the press in the spotlight, for better or worse.

Rating: 4/5