Citizenfour

Starring: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Jacob Appelbaum, Ewen MacAskill, Jeremy Scahill
Directed by: Laura Poitras
Rating: R
Genre: Documentary
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary:A documentarian and a reporter meet with Edward Snowden to hear his allegations and proof of extensive, unprecedented U.S. government spying on citizens.

Review:

Tim: At this point, I feel fairly well-versed in the story of Edward Snowden and his whistleblowing (some would call it treason) of the U.S. government's illegal domestic spying program. I followed the news (not especially closely, true) and I watched Oliver Stone's fictionalized film, Snowden. I was interested in seeing the Academy Award winning Citizenfour, but I wondered how I would react to it when I knew a good amount already. What I can say is that Laura Poitras directs one of the more thrilling documentaries I've seen. It was fascinating to see actual footage of Snowden as he met with journalists to discuss what he was about to do. This is an exceptionally well made movie and one that is absolutely worth seeing.

Snowden is a fascinating human being. Obviously called a traitor by much of the government, he abandoned his life and home to highlight an illegal spy program perpetuated by the U.S. government against its own citizens. I don't like to get into too much politics here at The Movie Files (I get enough of that on the news), but it's hard to watch this documentary and not feel sympathy for Snowden. He certainly doesn't seem to be out for personal gain- everything he does here comes at enormous personal cost. The U.S. government was doing something illegal and frightening, and it continually lied about doing it. I get those who want to claim Snowden broke protocol, threatened the ability of the government to protect its citizens, etc. But, by my account, the government acted illegally and I'm thankful that Snowden had the courage to come forward. Who knows where this would have gone unchecked over years? Watching this film, I was struck by Snowden as a brilliant young man (so young) who knew what he had to do, even if it meant his life as he knew it being effectively over. I can't imagine the courage it took.

The film does a great job of just allowing us to be in the room with Snowden. He was in hiding, so we just see him in a hotel room. But as he and the other journalists discuss their next moves, you get to understand his character better. I was riveted by these scenes. I was really impressed with Glenn Greenwald, too. I have to admit I wasn't familiar with him before this film. He showed his own courage and journalistic integrity to break this story to the world. The scenes between Greenwald and Snowden are some of the most insightful in any documentary I've ever seen. It is worth watching.

My favorite scene of the film (SPOILER ALERT, I suppose) is when they are in the hotel talking and the fire alarm goes off. In that moment, you see this unscripted look from Snowden. It's terror. He covers it quickly, but you can see the wheels in his head spinning, the calculations, the question of if he's being drawn outside to be arrested or killed. It's an incredible moment to have captured on film and it says everything about his mental and emotional state as he confronts the consequences of his actions. It puts a human face on the name and the story.

Citizenfour is an exceptional film. I felt like although it wasn't quite great, it got extremely close. It absolutely deserved to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary. It captures a dark piece of American history, but it's one we cannot look away from, one we cannot forget. It makes me feel so fortunate we have brave patriots like those depicted here who will do the hard thing for the good of the many. This film is powerful and absolutely deserving of your time. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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