Citizenfour Proves To Be So Much More Than I Could Have Expected

The mere fact that this film exists is an achievement.

Citizen four is a true day-to-day account of the Edward Snowden whistleblowing event... with Edward Snowden!! I'm serious. The documentarian Laura Poitras was one of only a small group of people allowed into Snowden's hotel room in order to record the man's actions. And it's an unequalled example of absolute insight into the event. Quite seriously, this is the ultimate Snowden film. And it's shot so well that a Hollywood screenplay probably never needs to be written... because the emotional beats are already there.

Obviously, this is a story worth telling. And there's no doubt in my mind this is a worthy entry into the Best Documentary category at this years Oscars. But that is clearly not the end all be all here. Citizenfour sets out to give unparalleled access to a pretty important event in our recent history, and even more amazing is how completely it manages to succeed. At any moment that door could have been broken down and the rest of the film would have been a mad attempt at simply gathering news reports and making lists without direct communication with Snowden. But that's not what happened. Snowden proved he could stay free. And the film greatly gained from his freedom. And you will greatly gain from seeing this film. So check it out!