A new documentary by director Rory Kennedy, "Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing," examines the aerospace manufacturer's safety standards, building on her previous film about the company. Kennedy stated that she was motivated to revisit the story due to accounts from Boeing whistleblowers who claimed that safety conditions, rather than improving, were deteriorating.
Kennedy's initial documentary, released in 2022, explored issues surrounding Boeing's safety reputation. At the time of that film's completion, Kennedy noted that Boeing had publicly stated it had taken responsibility and implemented changes. "It did seem initially that it had made some corrections, but soon after the 737 Max got [back] into the air, I started seeing the headlines again," she told TIME in a recent interview. The director, who has also produced documentaries on the Abu Ghraib scandal and the Vietnam War, described "Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing" as her first sequel, driven by the company's alleged persistent failure to improve its safety protocols.
"I was getting approached by whistleblowers inside Boeing saying, not only had things not improved, but they were actually getting worse, and would I consider revisiting this?" Kennedy explained. The documentary's focus comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Boeing's manufacturing and safety practices.