Director: Laura Poitras | 4/5 Citizenfour After watching Laura Poitras Oscar-nominated documentary, I have come to the conclusion that either the subject of government surveillance is too big to be told through the eyes of one man or that this simply is not the documentary to do it. Do not get me wrong, Poitras' underplayed narrative skills are second to none. Her technical prowess is simply swallowed up by the vast nature of the topic. Citizenfour is concerned with the story of Edward Snowden, or at least parts of it. To protect his loved ones, Snowden is reserved on details of his personal life. He is choosy about the information he gives, almost to the point of paranoia. This big-brother’s-watching vibe permeates the entire piece. You find yourself uneasy watching Snowden unplug phones and grow clammy at the sound of a fire alarm. |
This heightened sense of paranoia works both for and against the documentary as a whole. If you are concerned about Snowden’s cause - and you should be -, then you know a lot is at stake. Your unease will be based on how cynical you are about the power-hungry nature of the government. It’s sad that the truth tends to veer towards the views of the cynics.
While you feel deep sympathy for Snowden and the risk he has placed himself in, I could not help but feel hungry for more background info. The first twenty or so minutes is a sort of here’s-what-you-missed slideshow. Again, do not let me underplay Poitras technique - it’s fantastic. However, I still did not feel thoroughly informed on Snowden’s, or the American people’s, plight. We hear Snowden say several times that he can prove certain government wrongdoings. I would have loved the opportunity to listen in on some of his findings. The longer stretches of Snowden sitting scared in his Hong Kong hotel room probably would have made more of an impact I had.
While you feel deep sympathy for Snowden and the risk he has placed himself in, I could not help but feel hungry for more background info. The first twenty or so minutes is a sort of here’s-what-you-missed slideshow. Again, do not let me underplay Poitras technique - it’s fantastic. However, I still did not feel thoroughly informed on Snowden’s, or the American people’s, plight. We hear Snowden say several times that he can prove certain government wrongdoings. I would have loved the opportunity to listen in on some of his findings. The longer stretches of Snowden sitting scared in his Hong Kong hotel room probably would have made more of an impact I had.