Sam's Blog - Citizenfour

In June 2013 Edward Snowden, an NSA contractor for the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, leaked classified information from the NSA to the public, causing a stir and uncovering a serious breach of privacy from the US government. Since then, the whistleblower has been charged with violation of the Espionage Act and theft of government property, and has currently been granted temporary asylum in Russia. We all kept ourselves updated on this unfolding story through various news outlets, but what we saw was the public side of the story. CITIZENFOUR brings us the personal side -- the story of Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, and Laura Poitras: from a series of encrypted emails from someone who identified as "citizenfour", to secret meetings in a hotel room in Hong Kong.

Laura Poitras is a director, producer, and cinematographer, and the woman behind documentaries such as FLAG WARS, THE OATH, and MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY. Though never seen on camera, she serves as the narrator for the film, and gives a very up-close and personal view of Snowden and the others involved, particularly Greenwald, who relayed the information to The Guardian.

Early on in the documentary, Snowden says that he wants to be careful about how they reveal his identity because of the way the public tends to latch onto personalities -- he doesn't want this to be his story. Poitras' work behind the camera allows you to finally see the personality that he blocks from the public eye. Long close-ups reveal Snowden typing away at his computer, absorbed, the slightest facial expressions on his face giving away his worry as he communicates with a loved one who is receiving pressure about his whereabouts. Images of Snowden obsessing over his hair before an interview reveal how nervous he is about the situation, as much as he tries to deny it. But it is his certainty in the act that he is carrying out that is the most striking thing about Snowden: he wants the world to know that he isn't afraid of what might happen to him, and that he shouldn't be afraid.

If you haven't already been unnerved by the situation, there are many scenes in CITIZENFOUR that may get you to that point... even disregarding the content, the energy that reverberates throughout the film is enough to put you on edge. In one particularly resonating scene, Jacob Applebaum, a computer security researcher and hacker, talks about how the word "freedom" has lately been replaced with "privacy"... and how "privacy is dead". Another scene towards the end also packs a punch: Snowden and Greenwald engage in a conversation, resorting to a pen and notepad for the most important details so as not to let that information somehow get overheard and recorded... the two then rip up the paper to cover their tracks.

The film is quiet, but powerful. It is a great portrayal of the power of an individual making a difference, and leading others to do the same. CITIZENFOUR is now playing at the Midtown Cinema... come check it out!