Edward Snowden has become one of those figures that does not leave people indifferent. Those who have learned what he did either level accusations of treason or defend his actions with words like “patriot”. The space between these conceptions is large. When such distance and contradiction appears in public opinion, a national nerve has been touched. This is a sign of an important space, one which marks a before and after. At the very least it signals that you should be informed. In the case of Snowden a good place to begin is with the recently Oscar-prized documentary Citizenfour. Directed by Laura Poitras, the film follows Snowden and the reporters who broke his story during the first days of revelations. Nominally focused on the man, both he and the film make a strong effort to push the attention towards the far more deserving issues. Perhaps in the spirit of Snowden’s disclosures that made the restricted public, the fine people at “thoughtmaybe” have –legally- put the film on the internet for all to see. Enjoy and avoid indifference.
