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Citizenfour

2014

Laura Poitras

Documentary, Self: Edward Snowden, Jacob Appelbaum, Julian Assange ...

7.2

6,802

Documentary In January 2013, Laura Poitras started receiving anonymous encrypted e-mails from "Citizenfour," who claimed to have evidence of illegal covert surveillance programs run by the NSA in collaboration with other intelligence agencies worldwide. Five months later, she and reporters Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with the man who turned out to be Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Ronnie Scheib Variety	"Adapting the cold language of data encryption to recount a dramatic saga of abuse of power and justified paranoia, Poitras brilliantly demonstrates that information is a weapon that cuts both ways."
		A. O. Scott The New York Times	"It's a tense and frightening thriller that blends the brisk globe-trotting of the 'Bourne' movies with the spooky, atmospheric effects of a Japanese horror film."
		Mark Kermode The Guardian	"Utterly engrossing. Laura Poitras’s brave documentary follows Edward Snowden as his leaks about the activities of the NSA shock the world. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)"
		Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"It's a wow of a thriller with a soul that isn't computer generated. Laura Poitras (...) she succeeds brilliantly in evoking a shadow villain intent on world domination. (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of four)"
		Todd McCarthy The Hollywood Reporter	"No matter one's personal stance about what Snowden did, this revelatory work is fascinating and thought-provoking."
		Claudia Puig USA Today	"'Citizenfour' plays like a thriller as it chronicles a complex and vitally important chapter in our history. (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of four)"
		Eric Kohn IndieWire	"Poitras delivers a mesmerizing look at both how Snowden managed to release his information as well as why it all matters."

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