Angel in the Rubble: The Genelle Guzman (2026 Lifetime Movie)
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Cast: Sherri Shepherd
Director: Manu Boyer
Writer(s): Robert Eisele
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Genelle Guzman, an NYC worker, was trapped for 27 hours under Tower One’s collapse on 9/11. While buried, she prayed and promised to change. A man named Paul stayed with her until rescue. She was the last survivor found at Ground Zero.Review/Recap Coming Soon
Recap/Wine Thoughts
Genelle (Sherri Shepherd) throws a party for the girls on a Monday night. She is living it up, much to the annoyance of her live-in boyfriend, Roger. Even though she has work in the morning, she parties into the night, and Roger gives her an ultimatum. Spend the weekend with him, or it’s over.
The next morning, Genelle is hungover and talks to her daughter on the phone. Genelle’s ex-husband has custody in Trinidade, and Kimberlee dreams of spending Christmas with her mother while sketching the World Trade Center. (Is this child clairvoyant?) More likely it is because her mother, Genelle, works in the World Trade Center.
She works on the 64th floor, to be exact, and the day starts like any other. Genelle even looks out the window and giggles, excited to work there! It is a little on the nose. Then, at 8:46 am, the first plane hits, and everyone assumes it was an earthquake. The office workers look at the window and notice papers falling from the sky. They turn on the TV, but no one has answers, and it is mass confusion.
Genelle calls Roger, who tells her to get out of the building as soon as possible because it will be chaos. The office manager tells everyone to stay put because the elevators are down. The co-workers try to stay calm, but smoke starts coming under the door.
Then the second plane hits live on air at 9:03. The news confirms that it is a terrorist attack, and the office workers watch helplessly. They try to call loved ones, but the phone lines go down, and cell towers can’t handle the volume.
The first responders on the ground include a cop daughter and her firefighter father. They know it is bad, but try to keep a level head.
The first tower collapses, and Genelle and her office mates rush through the smoke to the stairwells. They head down from the 64th floor and are the last floor to evacuate. As they head down, firefighters continue climbing to search for trapped survivors and bravely pursue their ultimate goal.
The workers heading down are overwhelmed and exhausted, trying not to leave anyone behind. As they ascend the stairwell, the second tower collapses. America and the world watch on in disbelief.
Kate, the security guard, searches the rubble for her father with other first responders.
Genelle manages to land in a pocket of rubble with enough space to breathe. She hears someone else trapped down with her named Evan with the NYPD. Evan asks Genelle questions about growing up in Trinidad and about her daughter. The talking helps Genelle stay awake, but Evan is not as lucky. He succumbs to his injuries five hours after being buried alive.
As the hours pass, Genelle calls out to God and her daughter, Kimberley. She even manages to knock out a small piece of rubble to see the sky. Genelle talks out loud for hours, and rubble continues to shift and crumble around her. She begs God for another chance to get things right.
Search and Rescue comb through the rubble, calling out and deploying rescue canines. They find Genelle, and a man named Paul tells her they are going to get her out. Paul reassures her, telling her she is brave. They talk about forgiveness, and Genelle needs to forgive herself for not being with her daughter for two years.
An electrical fire starts; OMG, what else could happen to this woman?! The rescuers go down after a rescue dog refuses to leave her side. Rescuers almost leave her down there, but find her just in time. Paul is nowhere to be found.
27 hours after the collapse, Genelle is lifted out. She is the final survivor found at ground zero. The security guard and her firefighter father are reunited as well. Genelle and Maxwell are the only two officemates who made it out alive from their floor.
Kimberly talks to her mom on the phone, and Genelle promises to be in her daughter’s life from now on. Genelle marries Roger and moves her daughter in with her. Genelle searches for Paul until she realizes that he was her guardian angel.
STRAY Thought
Sherri Shepherd was so good in this. I think this was a lot to tackle for a Lifetime movie. Personally, I haven’t interacted with many dramatizations of 9/11 because it is so horrible to think about what these people had to endure during their final moments.
Based on the book Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11’s Last Survivor (An Inspiring Memoir) by Genelle Guzman-McMillan
I’m not sure there will be a fully successful dramatization of these events. The scope and subject matter are tough to revisit for those who remember where they were when it all went down. That said, I think this was a great first step in the right direction. (And from a TV movie no less!)
Overall rating
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷🍷 (4 Glasses of Wine)
Should you watch it?
Pour it up (Give it a shot)
Put a Cork in It (Skip It!)
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments or on social media at @LifetimeUncorked and @patrickmiguel.
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