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27 October 2014. Updated. 26 October 2014 CITIZENFOUR Review
We viewed Laura Poitras' Edward Snowden film, CITIZENFOUR, today. The portions when Snowden is shown in full bloom are enthralling, these alone make the film a sorely needed antidote to sickly outpouring of shallow, abysmal coverage of media valorizing its story of Snowden. Between the gripping opening scenes of Snowden in Hong Kong to the last surprise in Russia, after a year of Snowden's living dangerously, and his correspondents enjoying lucratie celebrity, a huge amount of padding is inserted, composed of recycled media covering itself and therewith duplicating much of what media is making of the story: its vainglorious role. Barton Gellman and The Washington Post, the second principal Snowden outlet, get minimal attention, as does The New York Times, to which The Guardian off-loaded its Snowden stash (all these abide the slow- or no-drip releasing of documents). Many others involved in restricted distribution are ignored: http://cryptome.org/2013/11/snowden-tally.htm The oligarch underwriting role performed by Pierre Omidyar appears not all in CITIZENFOUR, though called "irresistable" by star Greenwald. Why Poitras would waste so much of the film on media self-vaunting is worth pondering. Is it to shift accusation of vulnerable Snowden to privileged and protected journalism? That it decided what to disclose, not him, as he directed. Is the film performing a role in a legal strategy to defend against espionage charges lodged against Snowden, a strategy implied in the film but not disclosed -- political exculpation rather than impossibly legal exoneration, as in the film ACLU's Ben Wizener portends the Espionage Act prohibits. Is the last scene of Greenwald scribbling messages to Snowden about another source -- Snowden reacting with uncharacteristically profane surprise, a couple of notes shown in full ("Ramstein Air Force Base" in a secret spy role; "1.2 million" targeted), then Greenwald mincing the notes -- more than a Hollywood tease of more to come? Snowden wisely hints this source may be a commonplace counterspy sting of targeted Greenwald -- to no effect. This last view of Snowden shows a fully mature man, deeply hollow-eyed, no longer excessively smiling, become fiercely independent by sustained solo threat, now suppressing anger, skepticism and suspicion, not the uninhibited 29-year-old first shown as hopeful, wishful, trusting and dependent. Is the film a Poitras-coded portrayal of Snowden coming to grips with the deal he made with journalists, under pressure, having few options, claiming he did not know how media works, now fully understanding how media works and in no way satisfied with how the spotlight has turned from him to it, that he is a subsidiary player for commercial giants of publicity and commerce, that he may be sacrificed for blockbuster promotions, following Manning, Kiriakou and others to jail. Poitras does not say but suggests this in the offing. Is this the message Poitras is sending with the film, the exploitation of Edward Snowden by the media and its legal and financial teams from Hong Kong to Russia? That the padding of media public service pretention is an expose of it sandwiched between Snowden's brave, honest and genuine public-spirited appearances. Except for a few of the featured performers, all the others associated with the film and in the lengthy credits (below) are dismissable publicity-profit-seeking opportunists reaping safe, extremely rich rewards from Snowden's extraordinary risks, exile and destitution. Beyond CITIZENFOUR, two even bigger vampire films are in the works to suck maximum blood from Snowden's withering carcass. No documents infused. That is the takeaway of this reviewer, and for it Poitras and Snowden deserve high praise and the film seen for not merely exposing NSA global and domestic depredations but exposing those who have leaped to exploit the shallow, drip by drip exposure by over-celebrating themselves and releasing a small percentage of the full documents Snowden bestowed on the public for its own direct, unmediated battle for democracy. CITIZENFOUR asks: can Snowden be freed of those he trusted, can we, can Poitras? _____
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