Citizenfour (2014)

The information that was made public by Edward Snowden in 2013 has had a lot of impact on the technology sector. In these documents there was information that the NSA had access to personal information (like email and phone records) of millions of people, both in and outside of the US. It is the reason many companies have added encryption options to their data or are planning to do so in the future. It’s something organisations like the NSA and FBI are not happy about as it will limit their access and the usefulness.

As a system administrator Snowden managed to gain access to a huge pile of sensitive documents and he started looking for a way to publish these that would have the most impact. He decided to contact documentarian Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald resulting in this movie, showing how the world got to know about the information and him.

Snowden comes across as a man who is in total control of his situation. He has a clear goal and knows how to articulate it. He’s clearly aware that his action will make him an enemy of the US, but is willing to do so. Poitras films it all while the events are taking place, which not only gives a fascinating look at Snowden and his motivation, but also of the journalistic process taking place. The fear and tense moments the team go through, feeling like they might be watched, comes across clearly.

Precautions are taken to make sure that the documentary can be made. Poitras doesn’t fly to America to make sure her material can’t be confiscated. She chats with Snowden over secure connections and when they finally meet they make sure there is no way for Snowden to be discovered. It makes Citizenfour almost feel like a spy thriller, but this is the real thing. As a viewer you get to see behind the curtains of a scandal which can easily be compared to the Nixon files or the information that Wikileaks made public and that’s a unique experience.