Citizenfour Four stars out of five

Starring: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Ewan MacAskill, Jeremy Scahill, Julian Assange

Directed by: Laura Poitras

Running time: 114 minutes

Its probably the most opaque operation ever conducted on a global stage, which is why Laura Poitrass clarity is such an asset: She simply records Edward Snowden as he drops the bomb. Sitting in his Hong Kong hotel room in early June 2013, the documentary filmmaker turns on the camera alongside Guardian reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewan MacAskill, and lets Snowden tell his story.

At this point, we know what that story is: Big Brother is watching us. The National Security Agency is involved in global surveillance programs that potentially violate privacy laws in the name of national security.

When the story first appeared, it was difficult to really understand the dimensions of these revelations, in part, because we all recognize the vulnerability of wireless communication thanks to tabloids, tampons and Prince Charles.

The idea that U.S. authorities may want to intercept terrorist communiqus with a little illegal eavesdropping seems unforgivably reasonable, given that anyone with a desire and a little know-how can spy on anyone with a wifi device. Yet, in watching Snowden explain the depth and darkness of what he was doing while working for Booz Allen Hamilton, a private contractor with the NSA, we begin to feel the weight of what we are bearing witness to, and the whole story starts to feel uncomfortably personal.

Sitting on the bed with this intelligent, articulate, and moderately goofy computer genius who has been charged on two counts of espionage, the viewer sees the whole Snowden traitor spin start to melt away, and in its place we perceive a young man who felt it was important to take a moral stand. Moreover, from what we can see and hear, he did it entirely without ego and from an emotional perspective, thats the argument Snowden had to win in order to convince the viewer of everything else that follows.

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Movie review: Citizenfour brings context to Snowden story

Director Laura Poitras' virtuosic documentary "Citizenfour" is a riveting, on-the-ground retelling of the story of NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

By now, most of us know the basics of the Snowden story. He was the high-level systems analyst for National Security Agency contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, who, in 2013, leaked classified documents to journalists in an effort to shine a light on the U.S. government's fast-growing surveillance apparatus.

The resulting controversy saw Snowden alternately characterized as a hero and a traitor. His legacy is complex, and until now it has been difficult to know what to think of him. But Poitras' film -- which gets its title from a codename Snowden used in his encrypted communications with the filmmaker -- goes a long way toward clearing it up.

That's because she gives us Snowden's side of the story, in full and for the first time. It's remarkable stuff, as Poitras' cameras spend eight days with Snowden. (For the record, he is currently living in Moscow as a guest of the Russian government.)

"Citizenfour" is very much a historical document, but one that plays like a Tom Clancy thriller.

Perhaps its real value, however, is in the way it helps viewers wrap their arms around what is a sprawling story. They may be terrified by what they learn about their government and its efforts to turn its surveillance apparatus on its own citizens.

That, Snowden explains, includes collection of cell phone data, phone conversations, GPS information from cellular devices -- and, yes, even listening through telephones that are on the hook.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Mike Scott, New Orleans Times Picayune/Nola.com

Citizenfour

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'Citizenfour': Edward Snowden documentary is riveting (review)

Bill Goodykoontz, Gannett 11:03 p.m. CST November 13, 2014

Edward Snowden and his girlfriend, Lindsay Mills, in Citizenfour. (Photo: Special to the Register )

"Citizenfour" captures history in the making.

That may sound like an exaggeration, but it isn't. Director Laura Poitras takes her camera to Hong Kong, where she and investigative reporter Glenn Greenwald meet with a whistle-blower who will, even during the course of the making of the film, go from anonymous to world famous (or infamous, in some circles): Edward Snowden.

Snowden, the former National Security Association contractor, starts talking about the U.S. government's surveillance of its citizens and its repeated lies to cover it up, and never really stops.

The story Snowden tells is, of course, absorbing, disturbing and, yes, scary. Poitras' film, playing out as more and more is revealed, reported and published, comes off like a real-life spy thriller, only without a James Bond-type hero in the mix. Just a nerdy guy in glasses who at one point hides under a blanket while typing passwords.

Fitting, because what is especially fascinating is Snowden himself. Using the name Citizenfour, Snowden contacted Poitras and asked her to contact Greenwald. He had a lot of information to share.

Snowden has been called a traitor, but here he comes off as a decent man trying to do the right thing, if however awkwardly (or illegally). He's obviously smart and practically bursting at the seams to get his story out. At first he says he is unconcerned with the consequences, but as the furor grows over his revelations and his methods, that changes. He goes from confident to paranoid.

Or does he? Just because you're paranoid, so the bumper stickers say, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

And make no mistake: They were out to get Snowden after the stories began appearing. So a glance at a telephone receiver in the Hong Kong hotel room where he begins his conversations with Poitras and Greenwald (and Guardian reporter Ewen MacAskill) quickly turns into Snowden explaining how new technology allows for outsiders to listen in through such a device, even when it's still on the hook at which point a light goes off above Snowden's head as he realizes that could be happening as he speaks.

Originally posted here:
'Citizenfour' tells Snowden's absorbing, disturbing story