Plot: Edward Snowden contacts documentary film maker Laura Poitras, hoping she'll collaborate with him to deliver a story about mass surveillance by the US government. The two travel to Hong Kong, where their first meetings will set in motion one of the biggest privacy scandals so far.
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June 14, 2025
The Edward Snowden story was big, so chances are most people watching this will be familiar with most of the details already. What sets this documentary apart is that everything is happening in real time. This wasn't set up after the dust had settled, but Snowden contacted Poitras well before word got out.
The subject and the presentation are rather dry though, and quite a few scenes and monologues also play out in real time, which isn't always the most interesting to watch. A bit of extra editing and somewhat more effort into the presentation would've been nice, but it's still a stark reminder that governments don't always care about our privacy.