The Twister: Caught in the Storm

The Twister: Caught in the Storm
Poster
Directed by	Alexandra Lacey
Produced by	Tim King Robin Le Chanu
Cinematography	David Vollrath
Edited by	Nic Zimmermann
Music by	Nick Foster
Distributed by	Netflix
Release date	March 19, 2025 (2025-03-19)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Twister: Caught in the Storm is a 2025 documentary film produced by Netflix. ^[1] The films details the events of a devastating EF5 tornado that caused catastrophic damage and killed 158 people in the city of Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. ^{[2] [3]} The documentary is directed by Alexandra Lacey and it was released on March 19, 2025.

Plot

The documentary is shown from the perspective of a group of teenagers who survive the tornado, which struck Joplin on graduation day. ^[4] According to The Hollywood Reporter , the plot centers around "a couple forced to shelter in a freezer, a 17-year-old working in the local frozen yoghurt shop, a school drop-out sucked out of his car only to catch a flesh-eating fungus, [and] the captain of the football team-turned-paramedic". ^[5]

Background and production

Main article: 2011 Joplin tornado

On the evening of Sunday, May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado struck the city of Joplin, Missouri, causing catastrophic damage to it and the surrounding regions. The tornado had a peak width of nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) as it tracked through the southern part of the city. The tornado damaged an estimated 8,000 homes, ^{[6] [7]} becoming the costliest tornado in modern history, ^[8] and 158 people were killed. ^[9]

Victims of the tornado were interviewed for the documentary. Director-writer Alexandra Lacey told The Hollywood Reporter, "It was a difficult prospect to find the characters and make sure that we were treating each one of them the right way and making them feel comfortable to tell their story. [...] What really struck me was the lasting mental health impact on the folks there in Joplin. Every time the wind gets stronger, or the sirens go… It’s really hard.” ^[10]

See also

• Greensburg (TV series) – A show about the rebuilding of Greensburg, Kansas after an EF5 tornado struck the town on May 4, 2007.

References

1. Hammer, Jessica. "Netflix announces new documentary about 2011 Joplin tornado". OzarksFirst.
2. Cross, Greta. "'Twister: Caught in the Storm': Netflix doc to feature 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
3. "The true story behind The Twister: Caught in the Storm - What happened in Joplin? | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
4. Goldbart, Max (February 20, 2025). "Netflix Unveils Feature Doc About Terrifying Joplin Tornado From 'The Tinder Swindler' Producer: Watch Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
5. Ford, Lily (March 19, 2025). "Netflix's Next Big Documentary Spotlights Traumatized Victims of the Deadly Joplin Tornado". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
6. "Joplin Tornado". Storm Aware. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
7. Griffin, Jonathan (May 21, 2021). "The Joplin Tornado: A Calamity and a Boon to Resilience, 10 Years On". NIST.
8. Lieb, David A. (May 20, 2012). "Records show Joplin twister was costliest since 1950". The Sun News . Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
9. "Five Years Since the Devastating Joplin, MO EF-5 Tornado; A Reminder to Prepare". National Weather Service . Retrieved March 6, 2025.
10. Ford, Lily (March 19, 2025). "Netflix's Next Big Documentary Spotlights Traumatized Victims of the Deadly Joplin Tornado". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 19, 2025.

External links

• The Twister: Caught in the Storm at IMDb