First of all, like any documentary, the filming style of "Fourth Citizen" is extremely realistic. Because the protagonist is a person who reveals government secrets to the outside world and is therefore wanted by the government, many filming activities have been carried out in secret. The most shocking part of the film is also here. Whether it is the "whistleblower" Snowden in front of the camera, the Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald who is battling with him, or the director Laura Poitras behind the camera, they are always facing the United States. The government monitors and even restricts the danger of personal freedom. There are multiple clips in the film that truly show this tension and excitement. At that time, Snowden was hiding in The Mira Hotel in Hong Kong, and another reporter sent by Greenwald and the Guardian to interview him. When he was about to use a laptop to introduce the NSA's surveillance system to two reporters, he even covered himself and the laptop with a blanket to avoid exposing the password he entered. He introduced that the NSA drones hovered around the world, and its staff were free to view any video surveillance tracking targets. At this moment, the camera suddenly switched to observe the glass windows of Snowden’s room from a high altitude outside. , A feeling of being watched all the time hits, making the viewer feel cold in the back. A fragment at the end of the movie is also very interesting. When Greenwald introduced the latest situation to Snowden, who had successfully applied for asylum, in Moscow, he didn't say the key words. Instead, he wrote them on paper for Snowden to read. After the two talked, they would tear up the paper. In fact, in front of Poitras's camera, they don’t have to be so nervous when they are protected by Russian officials, but they still do it just in case, because they know better than the audience how powerful the NSA’s surveillance capabilities are. . It can be said that this tense atmosphere that runs through the beginning and the end of the film best illustrates the theme of the film: under the government's powerful surveillance network, citizens have almost no privacy at all. Not only that, as a character in the film said, losing privacy also means losing freedom, because people who lose privacy will have concerns and cannot express and act freely. This can't help but recall the 2006 Oscars Best Foreign Language Film "Eavesdropping Storm". In the absence of privacy, what a luxury freedom is!
It’s worth mentioning that although the whole film is filled with a tense atmosphere similar to "The Bourne", Snowden himself is quite calm, his expression is solemn from beginning to end, and there are occasional smiles in the conversation, but also on his face. Immediately regained his composure. His composure and calmness are not only the mature performance of a 29-year-old young man in dealing with huge pressure and meeting huge challenges, but also prompting the audience to experience the pain and helplessness of the person involved in making a dilemma. In public affairs, although he firmly chose to stand on the side of the people and expose the government’s improper behavior, he must also deal with some practical issues, such as whether he needs to reveal his identity, how to deal with possible dangers after exposure, and even how Responding to the public opinion shaping his image, and so on. On the private side, his girlfriend is still in the United States and has been investigated by the government. Personal freedom may be restricted due to his actions, and where he will stay next is also a problem. We know from the movie that he does nothing against his original intentions, does not make any compromises or concessions, and stands firm. Fortunately, with the help of everyone, he completed his mission and finally reunited with his girlfriend in a foreign country (fortunately, the US government is willing to release people).
Snowden's story can come to an end, but the problem thrown by the "Fourth Citizen" is far from resolved. For example, a lawyer in the film said that according to the law of the United States, divulging the secrets of security agencies is a crime of treason, but the law does not clearly stipulate how to be sentenced if it is not divulged to an enemy country, but for the public interest. According to the literal provisions of the law, I am afraid it still constitutes the crime of treason. Many Americans regard Snowden as a true patriot, while the government regards him as a traitor. How do you define patriotism and treason? The key may be the meaning of the word "国". For the Chinese, since they were young, they have to shout "Love the party and the country" thousands of times. What we are instilled is the idea of "national interest above all else". So, is Snowden's approach from a higher moral point of view? Perhaps Americans and Chinese have different answers. Of course, different Chinese people may also give different answers.
The movie also criticized the popular concept of big data. In the film, NSA is using big data gathered from various information of citizens to investigate any targets they want to investigate. Your every move, your preferences, your social network, etc. are all under the control of the government. Outside of movies, the contradiction between big data and citizen privacy has always been the focus of public opinion in recent years. Whether in the United States or China, major companies have set up big data departments in an attempt to pinpoint consumer needs and preferences and maximize profits. However, the government has eroded citizens’ privacy in the name of protecting national security to such an extent, do we still expect profit-making companies to exercise restraint? The warning significance of "Fourth Citizen" is here. If there is no private supervision and no media checks and balances, these violations of citizens' privacy will definitely get worse.
After the "Prism Gate" was exposed, many countries held hearings to investigate whether the United States had also conducted illegal surveillance on citizens of other countries. We see that such a hearing will basically not affect the overall result. The strength of the United States determines that other countries can only protest to a limited extent at best. Whether the large-scale monitoring of the US government is curtailed because of this is another matter. What "Fourth Citizen" can do is to truly record this period of history, and let more citizens know that their privacy is being violated and that they are losing their freedom. In addition, if you are careful enough, you will find two interesting plots. In the beginning of the film, the director’s narration told us that Snowden took the initiative to contact her and Greenwald, not that they found Snowden. Snowden said in an email to the director: "You asked why I picked you. I didn't. You did." The director clearly told the audience why I chose you. It was precisely because she was under surveillance that she contacted Snowden. This is really a bold irony. The director sacrificed his privacy to get such a work! At the other end of the film, Snowden and his girlfriend are reunited in Moscow. The director chose to shoot the two people cooking in the kitchen like a paparazzi from a distance. This is also a irony of monitoring the privacy of citizens, but it is also a kind of goodwill. Warning, do you think you are really safe?
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