citizenfour
2015 review number 34:
Citizenfour: (Documentary): 78 out of 100: The recipient of this year's Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, "Citizenfour" provides a detailed and interesting account of the interviews with Edward Snowden before he was universally referred to as a whistleblower.
Laura Poitras, the director of this documentary, received encrypted emails from someone named 'Citizenfour' who claimed to have knowledge of the American government's covert-surveillance programs which invaded the privacy of millions of Americans. The email sender turned out to be the now notorious Edward Snowden. Poitras along with The Guardian newspaper's Glenn Greenwald travel to Hong Kong to interview Snowden and the unfolding meetings are history in the making.
Be prepared for a lot of reading, not only with the email exchanges but also with subtitles. Those who prefer a documentary that gets straight to the point might become bored as there are some silent scenes which actually help build the tension. If you are prepared to sit through the exchanges, you will become engrossed in the situation Snowden finds himself in. It's like a real-time espionage thriller played out before our eyes.
Snowden turns out to be a charismatic and interesting interviewee. He is an eloquent speaker whose arresting personality ensures that the viewer is in his corner. You feel angered that he has been treated this way, although this is probably as a result of a slight bias from the filmmakers in portraying Snowden as a hero. Greenwald is also featured in many scenes and proves his worth as an expert journalist.
The documentary takes us to places like Hong Kong, New York, Berlin and Moscow. According to IMDB there are actually 15 filming locations. These locations are used effectively to detail the manhunt of Snowden and illustrate how this subject matter of leaked information is of international importance.
This is an interesting subject matter that has been handled efficiently and expertly. It will open your eyes to how your government treats its citizens and make you wonder how much information they have of you through their information gathering practices.
Featuring Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald
(114 minutes)
Parental advice: Coarse language
Additional scene during or after credits: No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiGwAvd5mvM (Movie trailer)
(Reviewed on Friday 6th March, 2015)
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