This has to be one of the most difficult watches, and I don’t think I need to answer why. At the centre of the documentary is John Barnett, the Boeing quality control manager and the whistle-blower. Barnett has spent decades at Boeing well before he raised concerns about the manufacturing and safety practices of the aircraft giant. But that is not where things become disturbing. His death in 2024 in South Carolina while he was involved in a legal dispute regarding his allegations against the company raises many questions that are hard to answer. Though ruled out as a suicide, the circumstances and the questions surrounding his treatment are what make you think twice and understand whether there is more to what the eyes see. And no, Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing isn’t a sensational shock. Instead, director Rory Kennedy’s follow-up to her 2022 documentary titled Downfall: The Case Against Boeing makes a comeback to expose that the issues related to Boeing 737 Max crashes were never really resolved.
What is more mind-boggling is the fact that many other whistleblowers who appear in Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing also describe similar experiences, which shows a pattern being followed in Barnett’s case. With all this, we are taken to the arrival of CEO Jim McNerney in 2005, and that led to aggressive cost-cutting, outsourcing, and shareholder returns. This significant change caused a rift between the engineering and management. With the help of interviews, archival footage, and disturbing images of Boeing’s manufacturing operations, many things became clear about how the company has been operating.
Kennedy has also covered the Alaska Airlines incident, in which a door plug blew out while the flight was in the air. By doing so, the makers are examining the safety questions that come into play. The documentary is ruthless in covering the wrongs done by Boeing and makes you look beyond the media coverage so far. If you think that Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing is a documentary on aviation disaster, then you might be wrong. Instead, it is about exposing a corporate failure in a manner that has never been done before. It is tense, disturbing, and uncomfortable to watch. And that is when you know that a documentary has been well made.
Of course, there is repetition of the events covered when compared to Kennedy’s previous installment. But that repetition doesn’t really matter when the events are true and important to be made a part of the plot. I don’t think I saw a documentary that goes beyond the aviation disasters to cover the why and the hows of the plot. The pacing is brisk, and most of the time you won't even remember thinking about it because of how gripping the plot is.
So, if you are someone who is about to get on a flight, try not to watch Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing right now. Maybe a little later would be fine. Because at one point, you will be questioning your decision to choose a flight instead of some other means of transport if you watch this.
Final Score - [8/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times