Student Film Reviews

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1. Spenser Sayre 03.13.15 / 6pm

   Laura Poitras’, “Citizenfour” is a captivating film that traces the footsteps of Edward Snowden’s dangerous story as he released confidential National Security Agency files that proved that the United States government was spying on millions of Americans. Poitras does an exceptional job at removing herself from the spot light and focusing on Snowden as he was forced to communicate under an alias in a foreign country. Her use of Snowden’s evidence hits home with a technological savvy generation whose almost every detail is forever documented within the internet. The layout of her film lingers between the line of the two genres, somewhat creating one of her own. “Citizenfour” is without a doubt a film that each person in today’s era should see.
2. Emilia Shugrue 05.13.15 / 10pm

   It’s true, CitizenFour can fit into the category of either a participatory mode documentary and or a reflexive documentary. The relationship between Poitrus and Snowden is an interesting one. I was lucky to see her speak during the Santa Barbara film festival, she is such an inspiring and interesting woman. It was fascinating to hear here discuss the lengths at which she had to go to make this film, and also how she chooses to shoot certain films rather than others (Discussing the subject matter she thinks is important.). A truly complex and beautiful film!
3. Amy Yoo 07.18.15 / 10pm

   I think what made Citizenfour such a powerful film was how personal it was. It was personal to Laura Poitrus, clearly, because it was her story; she was telling her story, from her point of view, with her narration. It was personal to Edward Snowden, because it was his story. It was his story that he was choosing to expose, and his story that was showing up on the screen. Lastly, it was personal to the viewer. To me, it was personal because what was being discussed on screen involved me and my promised freedoms. It is personal to all viewers, because it should make them re-analyze how their freedoms have been compromised or what their freedoms mean to them. One of my favorited scenes from the film was towards the end of the film when the camera was outside the building and looking into a room where Snowden and his girlfriend were sharing a private moment together. The scene was a silent but powerful reminder that the viewer was just a viewer and that the story didn’t end here.
4. Othman Mechkor 11.02.15 / 5pm

   I really enjoyed this documentary and agree with your point that although Snowden did not want to be the center of attention Laura Poitrus named the movie citizenfour (Snowden’s pseudonym) and made the film revolve around his character primarily. In my opinion this was a great documentary and very informative if you’re interested in politics and our society today.
5. Phill Hunziker 11.05.15 / 11am

   I remember seeing this at the SBIFF this year; the entire audience was glued to their seats throughout the entire screening. Beyond the commentary and relevance this story has to the American public, this film possessed an incredible amount of tension paced by moments of natural humanistic comedy. This was a truly outstanding film.
6. Cassidy Coleman 11.20.15 / 11am

   The participatory style of Citizenfour and Poitras’s involvement is interesting given what you say about Snowden being the real creator of the film. If Poitras is actively involved in the filmmaking process and in the events that are taking place, then Snowden being the main focus of the film does not follow this participatory style. Her voiceovers throughout the film are significant in revealing emotions and they do show this shifting in focus back and forth between Poitras and Snowden throughout the film. Perhaps this was her attempt at not having the entire movie solely focused on Snowden and his actions, but maybe that was the plan the whole time too.
7. Carl Hutchinson 03.11.16 / 10pm

   I think the question of whether Snowden should be the focus of the documentary is an interesting one. While he is right in not wanting his own persona to overshadow the significance of his findings, he himself is a vital part to the whole process and the story without him does not seem complete. I think that the approach taken by the documentary was very well calculated and well thought out. While the evidence of NSA mass surveillance and data logging is truly the center of this story, Poitras includes just enough of the character of Snowden to give a the story a human element.
8. Jack Kinsler 07.26.16 / 1pm

   One of the most important documentaries of our generation. The topics of government surveillance and the continually loss of our privacy as citizens are ones that this film attempts to tackle and I think it does so effectively. By following Snowden around during the time in which his leaked documents were being released to the public we are able to take a rare peak into who this man actually is. This opportunity was incredibly important as it provided the public with the necessary information to decide whether Snowden was a hero or a traitor. Personally, the film made me see him as a hero who had to make a tough decision but ultimately did what was right.

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