Synopsis
In June 2013, Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her.
2014 Directed by Laura Poitras
In June 2013, Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her.
Praxis Films Participant HBO Documentary Films JustFilms / Ford Foundation The Bertha Foundation RADiUS-TWC
Citizen four, Citizenfour: Правда Сноудена, Citizenfour - L'histoire d'Edward Snowden, Citizenfour: Občan Snowden, Ciutadà Quatre, Гражданин четыре, 第四公民, Cetățeanul patru, 시티즌포, אזרח מספר ארבע, Cidadãoquatro, Citizenfour : L'histoire d'Edward Snowden, シチズンフォー スノーデンの暴露, Quyền Công Dân, Citizenfour: Правда Сноудена (Громадянин чотири)
Politics and human rights High speed and special ops War and historical adventure Politics, propaganda, and political documentaries Riveting political and presidential drama Exciting spy thrillers with tense intrigue Intense political and terrorist thrillers Humanity's odyssey: earth and beyond Show All…
I would encourage you to see this movie. I would also encourage you to pay cash when you buy your ticket.
“We are building the biggest weapon for oppression in the history of mankind.”
I’m afraid that as I write down this quote from Laura Poitras thrilling documentary I will be added to the NSA’s surveillance list. That is how paranoid this documentary may make you feel after the two hour nail biting experience. Citizenfour feels more like a spy thriller than an actual documentary because it was being documented in real time as history was being made. I’m no computer wiz and my knowledge is rather limited, but the way things are explained in this documentary makes it easier to follow the story. There are several things that stand out here and despite that slow opening 15 minutes, once Edward…
60/100
Does and doesn't fall afoul of my eternal doc question, viz. "Why am I watching this instead of reading it?" People trumpeting Citizenfour as essential journalism (Godfrey Cheshire: "No film so demands to be seen by every sentient person who values his or her own freedom and privacy") bewilder me—apart from the final tease (which is a tad cute for my taste), all of the information here was disclosed over a year ago, when the story initially broke. The movie's sole value as a movie is that it captures a major historical event as it actually unfolds, putting you in that Hong Kong hotel room literally just a few minutes after Poitras and Greenwald meet Snowden for the first…
"My name is Edward Snowden. I go by ed."
Still as terrifyingly vital and immediate as it was a year ago. As a work of pure thriller documentation, Poitras got genuinely unbelievable access to a real on-the-run, hiding-out-in-hotels, thinking-about-doing something-incredible/illegal event, but it struck me even more on rewatch just how normal and unassuming Snowden is in the footage that makes it even more impactful. Watching him wrestle with the gravity of what he's considering doing & what it means in the larger real-world context is of course enthralling, but knowing this whole situation simply stems from a basic, deeply-rooted sense of moral principle and civic duty is what really does it for me. I spent most of this rewatch wanting to hug him.
the US after finding out someone leaked information that the NSA is watching us: 😂😂 WHO DID THIS 😂😂
Edward Snowden is not a patriot.
At least, that's what President Obama would like you to believe. It seems just about everyone working in our bright, shining, beacon of a government here in America wants to reiterate this point as well. Edward Snowden is not a hero. He is a terrorist. Obviously. The man leaked classified information to our enemies. And to our allies. And to our people. Information that is directly related to the kind of privacy we are and are not afforded in our post 9/11 atmosphere. It's ironic how up in arms everyone seems to be about Snowden breaking a single law stemming back to World War I, when he was exposing instances of our government breaking…