Music festivals are known for being crowded and chaotic, which is why they usually employ stringent security and crowd control techniques. The now-infamous Astroworld festival, which took place in November 2021, is a terrifying example of what can happen when those measures fail.
In Netflix’s new disaster documentary, Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy, viewers get an in-depth analysis of how 10 people died from being crushed in the crowds during Travis Scott’s Astroworld performance.
Here’s the Watch With Us team’s reasons you should watch the documentary.
‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’ Features Exclusive Interviews With Survivors
Trainwreck features moving interviews with survivors like Ayden Cruz, a festival attendee who bravely climbed up onto a camera platform to call for help during the concert. Despite being yelled at by people who accused him of ruining the show, he endeavored to make people understand the seriousness of the situation. Still, he was unable to save the life of his friend, 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez.
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These first-hand accounts give the viewer an understanding of the trauma that survivors experienced, conveying the horrors in a way that reading about the event never could.
‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’ Shows How This Disaster Occurred
Filmmakers Yemi Bamiro and Hannah Poulter take a forensic approach to explaining the crowd control disaster, dissecting the responses of medics, sound engineers, LiveNation event organizers and Scott himself with minute-by-minute detail. (Neither Scott nor Drake, who was also onstage during the disaster, appears in the film.)
Crowd safety expert Scott Davidson provides explanations about how many things could’ve been done differently to prevent this tragedy, which left hundreds of people injured in addition to the 10 casualties.
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‘Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy’ Is Visually Evocative and Powerful
A large portion of Trainwreck’s visuals is composed of found footage from the night of the concert disaster, making the viewer feel as if they are among the crushing crowd. It’s an extremely claustrophobic viewing experience, in which cell phone footage illustrates how concertgoers were literally pushed to the ground, falling under bodies. Screaming and gasping for breath can be heard in the videos taken at the scene.
Artistically, it’s a powerful and immersive film. It’s heartbreaking to see this chaotic footage contrasted with the calm testimony from experts like Davidson, who explain how “entirely preventable” the devastation was.
If you want to understand more about how and why this tragedy unfolded, Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy is a powerful, in-depth examination that will provide context to this horrific event. Proceed cautiously, however, as the footage may prove disturbing to those who suffer from claustrophobia or who have experienced traumatic events.
Watch Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy on Netflix.
