[yasr_overall_rating]
The NSA’s illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency’s employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.
Quite shamelessly I have often been guilty of not keeping up with or have been accused of not caring about world events. It may be partly true but I prefer to think that I like to take in information very slowly and that I may have been impacted by an oft taught parental perception that the media lies; an adage that always has me envisioning wily wizards with overly inky pens writing the truth and smearing the ink, and then expecting the truth to stay intact but in a moment of panic the talking heads on TV gave in to deception instead. Everyone has their own truth and their own reasons but not everyone is a traitor. Edward Snowden is apparently a traitor by definition, but then again so are our founding fathers. Go figure. It isn’t hard to figure out what Oliver Stone’s sentiments are given his new docudrama “Snowden,” but it isn’t propaganda or hagiography. “Snowden” explores the internal conflict of a man who loves his country but struggles to keep faith that his country is doing what is right for its people, as well as the people beyond its borders.
Within the first few minutes of the film, my stomach sank and doubts started to settle as I asked myself, “Is this movie going to be as flat and rigid as Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s voice and gait?” But I reminded myself, this always happens to me when watching a flick based on real people. It’s hard to go beyond seeing the mask, the façade. Like ice melting, sometimes it takes a minute. Doubts faded as I got comfortable with Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden, with his voice deeper and his movements precise, falling out of impression and into embodiment.
“Snowden” weaves in and out of time, with flashbacks that help blur the lines of what it means to be a traitor, constructing the image of a young man who is a conservative patriot, a morally upright citizen, a desirable brain who wishes to serve his country. It is a story of a former NSA contractor gone astray, leaking classified documents to the media, for the people. Documents concerning the vast surveillance, an invasion of privacy of the people by the U.S. Government. Big Brother, full and fleshy, pumping blood.
There are key moments when shit gets real. One is when Snowden finds out just how far the arm of the government can reach when he discovers that webcams, even when turned off, can be hacked and what will be seen will be seen without any notice by or any regard for the owner. It also clicks for Snowden that the “eye in the sky” is real, when his teacher/mentor Corbin O’Brian (Rhys Ifans), in a not so subtle manner, lets Snowden know that he knows all. He knows of his missteps, and of his ever-growing doubts scuttling across the depths of his brain. It’s these intense moments, nervously laughable moments, that keep the momentum of the film. Other moments tend to drag, like the relationship between Snowden and his girlfriend Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley). Those moments are wooden and fail to translate on screen.
The film is a bit jilted overall given its structure, moving between present events. A more linear structure may have been more suitable. But regardless of structure, or feelings of Snowden and his actions, the film presents interesting questions concerning freedom, borders, and power.
People love to throw around the word freedom, assuming everyone has the same definition. But does anyone know what it means to be free? It’s an ever-expanding concept that is growing harder to define in a world with blurred borders. Corbin O’Brian, in the film says, “Most Americans don’t want freedom. They want security.” It’s something to chew on. Whether or not you like a film, even this film, it’s always nice to have something to chew on.
In theaters Friday, September 16th
