Citizenfour 2014

As Laura Poitras (documentary film director/producer) delves into her latest project, a cinematic exposé of monitoring programs born from the September 11 attacks’ aftermath, she receives an enigmatic encrypted message in January 2013. The sender, self-proclaimed “Citizenfour,” offers cryptic insights into the United States National Security Agency’s (NSA) clandestine wiretapping practices and other intelligence agencies’ illegal activities. This tantalizing tip-off sparks a chain reaction, drawing Poitras to Hong Kong, accompanied by investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald and The Guardian’s Ewen MacAskill.

Their June 2013 arrival in Hong Kong marks the beginning of a tumultuous saga as they converge with “Citizenfour,” whose true identity is masked behind an air-tight veil of secrecy. These furtive encounters unfold within the confines of Snowden’s hotel room, where he meticulously guards his anonymity. Framed through lingering shots of Snowden ensconced in bed, gazing into his mirror, and the Hong Kong skyline, this enigmatic figure takes shape as a political prisoner trapped behind a web of surveillance.

As their four-day interview marathon concludes on June 9, Snowdon’s identity is revealed to the world at his behest. The ensuing media frenzy prompts him to relocate to Poitras’ room, desperate to evade phone calls pouring in for his original hotel quarters. Confronted with the prospect of extradition and prosecution in the United States, Snowden orchestrates a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, subsequently applying for asylum. As Poitras becomes increasingly paranoid about being followed, she flees Hong Kong for Berlin, Germany.

The US government’s request on June 21 for Hong Kong to extradite Snowden sets off a chain reaction of events. Though he manages to slip away from the Mira Hotel, his US passport is cancelled before he can connect in Havana, stranding him at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport for 40 days. On August 1, 2013, Russia grants Snowdon temporary asylum for one year.

Meanwhile, Greenwald returns to Rio de Janeiro and becomes a vocal advocate for the United States’ NSA surveillance programs, which he believes are utilized for foreign espionage. Poitras and Greenwald maintain a correspondence, both expressing trepidation about returning to their homeland.

Throughout this cinematic narrative, smaller vignettes punctuate Snowdon’s Hong Kong interviews, offering glimpses into the lives of individuals affected by these clandestine activities. Notably, William Binney shares his insights on NSA programs and testifies before Germany’s Parliament regarding NSA spying in Germany.

As the cinematic narrative reaches its poignant conclusion, we find ourselves once more in the company of Glenn Greenwald (played by), Edward Snowden (), and Laura Poitras (). This time, their gathering takes place against the stark backdrop of Russia, a country that has become intertwined with the story’s complex web. As they convene, Greenwald and Snowden delve into the latest revelations surrounding US intelligence programs, exercising utmost care in committing sensitive information to paper rather than vocalizing it aloud. The atmosphere is tense as they meticulously transcribe critical details, their pens moving deliberately across the page. Greenwald then takes a deliberate pause, his eyes scanning the growing pile of torn documents that has accumulated on the table before him. With calculated slowness, he begins to gather these scraps, removing them from the table with a quiet deliberation that underscores the gravity of their work.