Citizenfour

"I dunno" I shrugged at Jon. "Aren't these kinds of things more your thing?"  I was worried that I would need to know more about Edward Snowden than I did.  Not wanting the subtleties of the film (or even the greater meanings) to be lost on me because I don't read news with any regularity anymore. I was wrong. This movie was totally my thing.  It was exciting. Tense. Human. It made me mad. It made me appreciate that there are people in this world who will act when they see something that is wrong. It made me respect Snowden for his smarts and bravado and for choosing the right journalists to tell his story. 

Snowden was a high level computer engineer, contracted at the NSA, who had access to any level of classified of data. He wrote code and managed systems on which metadata is being captured on everyone (literally) and cataloged in searchable ways.  He knew this was wrong so he decided to reach out to two journalists who he knew would respect the story and its weight and told them what he knew and shared documents with them. The film unfolds mainly over a week or so and follows journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras as they meet with Snowden to hear what he has to say in a Hong Kong hotel room. It is informative and revealing, emotional and haunting.  

What I liked most about this documentary are the times that you see the person behind the story...Snowden's nervous tics and awkward phone conversations with the hotel staff . The long, steady shots of him thinking, looking out the hotel window or fussing with his hair. He's a person. You can feel his resolve even when he is clearly uncertain about what comes next.

The story is still unfolding and, truthfully, I felt helpless when the movie ended. We are still being listened to and watched. Drones, cell phones, search engines - the tools are in the hands of the watchers. It feels like it's too late.

Back in the Saddle!

After a five year hiatus, I am firing up the movieblog again!  I've got an unofficial goal of 26 movies in the theater this year.  Wish me luck!