Review: Two crashes, a dead whistle-blower – and the cloud over Boeing's reputation

Netflix's documentary, Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, delves into the company's recent history, focusing on two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that claimed 346 lives. The film, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy, is a sequel to her 2022 documentary, Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. Kennedy's newest work explores not only the crashes themselves but also what happened afterward, questioning whether Boeing ever truly learned from these incidents.

The documentary opens by examining the shift in corporate culture under former CEO Jim McNerney, highlighting a growing conflict between the company's pursuit of speed and cost-cutting measures and the meticulous manufacturing approach that had once defined Boeing. Former employees, industry insiders, and journalists provide insight into this alleged culture of profit over safety.

At the center of the film is John Barnett, a former Boeing quality manager who spent years raising concerns about manufacturing practices at the 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina. Barnett alleged that workers were pressured to expedite aircraft production, leading to a risk of defective parts ending up on planes. He became one of Boeing's most vocal whistleblowers and appeared in the Downfall documentary.

In March 2024, Barnett was found dead in his vehicle in South Carolina, with his death ruled a suicide. The film examines the toll this battle had on Barnett, with his lawyers directly attributing responsibility to the company.

However, Kennedy doesn't rely solely on Barnett's story. Other whistleblowers share their experiences of raising safety concerns, suggesting a broader issue that extends beyond one disgruntled employee. The families of the victims also feature prominently, lending emotional weight to the film. Naoise Connolly Ryan, whose husband Mick Ryan died in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, laments that her children are aware their father died because of a "bad guy" - Boeing.

The families' anger is directed not only at the company but also at the US justice system, reflecting the strain endured during a three-year deferred prosecution agreement between Boeing and the DOJ in 2021.

The agreement allowed Boeing to avoid criminal charges in exchange for meeting certain conditions, but the deal was put back in the spotlight in 2024 due to the Alaska Airlines mid-flight incident, just days before the agreement's three-year term expired. This renewed scrutiny prompted the families and whistleblowers to continue demanding accountability. Freefall leaves the viewer with a sense of unresolved questioning, as no Boeing CEO has faced criminal charges for the disasters, and the "reckoning" remains undetermined.