As gay men, we spend much time and energy coming out, defining ourselves, carving our own secure social niche, and just learning to survive within the larger world. In doing so we sometimes forget that we are also legitimate participants in historically significant events, and that our experiences are of value to everyone.

Future generations, including future gay generations, will benefit from historical dramas like writer and director Brian Sloan's new film, WTC View.

In bringing his historical drama to the screen, Sloan has created a diverse cast of both gay and straight characters. Each embodies a different experience of that tragic day, and each offers different opinions on its aftermath.

The film opens on Sept. 10, 2001, as a young gay man places an ad in The Village Voice. He seeks a new roommate to share his 2-bedroom Soho apartment. That apartment, a mere 12 blocks from the World Trade Center, looks directly out at its world-famous twin towers.

WTC View then fast-forwards to the weeks just following the events of Sept. 11. We meet Eric (played by newcomer Michael Urie), the young man who is looking for a roommate. Most of the film's story unfolds in the empty spare bedroom of Eric's apartment.

The calamitous events of Sept. 11 have greatly affected Eric. The apartment that has been his home for 10 years now seems alien to him. He has turned into something of a Miss Havisham, wandering about aimlessly, haunting his own quarters. Sudden noises such as the sound of a fire truck or police sirens — or that of a jet passing overhead — now unnerve him to the point of terror.

As the film progresses, a variety of gay and straight men seeking to rent the room come to Eric's apartment. Each has had a different experience of Sept. 11. Each has his own tale to tell, and each interacts with Eric in a different way.

Through Eric's reminiscences, we learn that he had a roommate who died in one of the towers on Sept. 11. It is apparent that Eric was fond of Steven, his deceased roommate, and there are hints that a relationship may have been forming between the two.

The lone female character in WTC View is Eric's good friend Josie, played by Elizabeth Kapplow in her first film role. Josie functions as the story's one-woman Greek chorus. She pays regular visits to the shell-shocked, reclusive Eric. She tries to cheer him up, hovers about him, questioning him and trying to coax him out of his gloom. She is often more aware of his condition than he is himself.

It is through her prodding that we learn that Eric actually has an estranged boyfriend named Will who lives in Brooklyn. Josie wants Eric to give up his apartment — now with a view of Ground Zero — and go live with Will. Unfortunately, Sept. 11 has left Eric indecisive and fearful of relationships.

The offscreen character of Will functions as a kind of Godot for Eric and Josie. He is the unseen centered force, representing the normalcy and goodness that Sept. 11 interrupted. WTC View chronicles Eric's attempt to return to some semblance of normalcy.

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