The subject matter is interesting.... But I thought the documentary was pretty boring, to be honest.
Practically the entire thing takes place in a hotel room and a lot of what they're discussing can't be revealed.
There are scenes where they pass notes back and forth to each other, which the camera doesn't get to see...
And there's a minute long scene of Snowden doing his hair.
I strongly urge everyone to see this documentary. Even if you have no interest in the issue of surveillance or the government. It's still a highly entertaining 2 hours.
I don't think so.
I think you have to be pretty invested in the United States to find this as compelling as you're presenting it to be.
I'm Australian and everyone I know thought it dragged.
...
Also, Snowden was clearly motivated - in part - by the hero status that he knew he would achieve.
And that scene where the gay reporter guy is doing a press conference in a foreign language is laughable.
Both of them (him and Snowden) paint themselves as heroes / "patriots in the truest sense of the word"... but I'm not convinced that what they did is significant... The government will simply take greater measures to protect national security. They will do whatever they have to do to not allow this to happen again... I'm not convinced that celebrity whistle-blowers like Snowden and Assange are achieving anything, beyond their own celebrity.
Although we all love the word "freedom", there are certain international realities that prevent us from exercising it absolutely.
Secrecy is (probably) an important element of government, to some extent.
If they have to monitor people to avoid another 911, so be it...
As long as they're not doing it for reasons other than national security.
And there isn't really much evidence that they are.
People cannot be prosecuted for crimes, for example, that are discovered as a result of the digital spy network.
So, beyond sensationalism, I'm not sure what the issue is exactly... or, at least, how serious an issue it is.
It's naive, I think, to presume that governmental organizations will every stop using technology to monitor the masses.
This documentary is selling a false hope, that - someday - we will be both safe and absolutely free. (We won't.)