How much should the government know about you? How much do you value your privacy? The way you answer those questions probably influence what you think of Edward Snowden, the latest subject of Oliver Stone (whose other political figure targets include?JFK?and?W.) Here, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Snowden, with his interview with documentarian Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald getting the ball rolling.
News aficionados may know of Snowden’s enlistment in the Army (and intent to join Special Forces) as well as his discharge; they know about his work for the CIA and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. They probably know less about his relationship with Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley), or his bouts of epilepsy. Either way, Stone’s take makes for a more human Snowden, less of the polarizing idea of a person. You may agree (or not) with his decisions, but you’ll understand his persona – and his humanity.
While we often examine public figures from afar, without grace or background to who they were before they were famous,?Snowden?reminds us that there’s more to a story than what we see.
Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, the package includes deleted scenes, and a featurette called “Finding the Truth.” But most interesting will be the “Snowden Q&A” which puts Gordon-Levitt, Woodley, and Stone on camera – as well as Snowden himself.
