There are two approaches to viewing SNOWDEN, the latest Oliver Stone film, which has just opened theatrically. One is to comment on the film’s artistry and cinematic aesthetic, and compare it to its creator’s previous work. The other is to reflect on what Stone is telling us about Edward Snowden, the controversial National Security Agency contractor who became a fugitive upon revealing America’s illegal surveillance of its citizens. And also, what is this film telling us about our world in 2016: our values, our feelings about privacy, and the manner in which a government can control the flow of information to its citizens?
However, the question of the moment is: Who exactly is Edward Snowden? Several answers are offered in the film’s advertising art, which asks: Is Snowden a soldier? Or is he a traitor? A hacker? A spy? A hero? A patriot? Or, is he a combination of them all?
Just prior to its release, SNOWDEN was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, where its creator and star offered insight into the whos, whats, and whys of Edward Snowden. “I was interested in his patriotism,” explained Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Snowden, at a Toronto press conference. “What he did was out of love of country. (For after all), he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2004. So with SNOWDEN, there are two different kinds of patriotism. You (put forth) an allegiance to your country and you don’t ask questions. Or you ask questions. You have the right to ask questions, to hold the government accountable.”
With this last point in mind, Gordon-Levitt offered a hopeful view of our future. “What will happens ten, fifteen years from now?” he wondered. “Well, it’s up to us... It’s worth being critical of the actions of the U.S. government. We do live in a country where we can raise our voices... I’m not giving up.”
On the other hand, Oliver Stone is far less optimistic, far more cynical in relation to the facts of life at the dawn of our meta-technological world. “(There) is really a secret underworld (at work here),” he explained. “And this is a very upsetting story. We (really) don’t know who’s doing what to whom.” And he added, “Ed Snowden has warned us about privacy. The next generation won’t know what privacy is. I grew up in a world in which we never thought this could happen.”
Stone then cited 1984, the George Orwell novel, which dates from 1949. In Orwell’s world, government surveillance is ever-present, independent thinkers are persecuted, the privileged few are in control, and Big Brother reigns supreme. And the filmmaker added that he “grew up in a world in which we never thought this could happen. But now, it’s becoming real...”
Rob Edelman has authored or edited several dozen books on film, television, and baseball. He has taught film history courses at several universities and his writing has appeared in many newspapers, magazines, and journals. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.
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