By Jessica Sierocki, photo editor.
Edward Snowden, a former CIA security agent, caught wind of the government illegally snooping on American citizens, and wanted the public to decide whether it was right or wrong. Snowden risked his life to get information to the world in the hopes that policies would be changed and new laws would be enforced. The film interpretation, “Snowden,” tells the former agent’s story as he dances between “American hero,” and “war criminal.”
It was clear that Joseph Gordon-Levitt did his homework on how to portray Edward Snowden. His mannerisms were almost identical to the actual man. Shailene Woodley added a balance to the film as Snowden’s girlfriend Lindsay Mills. Her calm and steady personality complemented the fast paced, secretive lifestyle of Gordon-Levitt’s character.
Though I’ve never been a fan of romances in movies, the relationship between Snowden and Mills was essential to the film. Not only was it a nice break from all of the technology talk and government secrets, but it also adds a sense of realism to a seemingly complex character. Snowden was portrayed as incredibly intelligent and Mills was a woman who was able to add some fun and bring him, and the viewer, back to reality and remember that this was real life, not some sci-fi alternate universe.
But I had a few problems with this film. The entire film was about a computer professional who leaked classified information to the public and I am sure the filmmakers dumbed everything down so the average person could understand what was going on, but wow. There were definitely times I was just overwhelmed with information. The interviews on screen didn’t help either because it was just Gordon-Levitt speaking to a camera.
“Snowden” also filmed at a wide variety of locations which is great in theory but again, wow. I realize the movie followed Snowden’s life as accurately as possible which meant going where he went but it got a little crazy at times. Don’t get me wrong, the scenes on the mountains of Hawaii were breathtaking and the glimpses of the Japanese cities were insane, but there could have been a lot more clarity for viewers like myself who didn’t brush up on the history of Edward Snowden before going to the theaters.
All in all, the movie was definitely worth my time and money. It really made you think about what American citizens really know about what our government is doing.