"Citizenfour", revolution will be encrypted

Citizenfour

There are, at least, two movies in 'Citizenfour', so allow me to divide the review in two parts.

Part 1. 'Citizenfour' is a thriller. A thriller about espionage. But you won't see George Clooney selling you coffee, or Brad Pitt playing with his sunglasses in slow motion, or CSI's Miami ridiculously photoshopped settings. It's a real life one. It happens in laptops, at several homes, and in hotel rooms where conversation happens. Don't look for car chasings, explosions or heroic cops/detectives. We could even agree there's few action, and the documentary is slow-paced and complex, something that you might find that disappointing or too much for your taste. That's sad. Because it's hard for me to think on movies that can compare to 'Citizenfour' in what regards to tension. The tension of seeing a movie director, Laura Poitras, a journalist, Glenn Greenwald, and a computer professional (a high-level analyst) Edward Snowden, risking their lives because of planning to meet in secrecy, then gathering in Hong-Kong to unveil the latest only weapon: information. Real, deeply disturbing, meaningful information, proving how the American National Security Agency (NSA) is invading your privacy. Indiscriminately, Illegally. Unacceptably. Shamefully. And when I say you, I mean everyone. You might prefer to keep checking your mobile. That's very sad too. This thriller makes 99% of thrillers look irrelevant and dumb. Here's reality, unfolding by the minute offered to any viewer willing to see thanks to a brave filmmaker. Here are real, working-class heroes exposing themselves in the search and defense of truth. A truth that is hidden by the most powerful government on the planet (but make no mistake, despite the US government is the one primarily pointed out, any Western government is equally responsible, or at least accomplice). A truth that should embarrass the government of any nation self-defined as a democracy. A digital David against an army of Goliaths. A flesh and bones starring role, scared, fragile (you can see the fear, the uncertainty in his face, his body language, it's gripping, compelling and disturbing at the same time) but determined to sacrifice his life to reveal a scandal that is silenced with just one word: terrorism. That's a real hero in my book. Move to part 2.

Part 2. If as a movie 'Citizenfour' is a fascinating miracle, a movie done 'undergound', the importance o what it tells us is even more striking. The movie begins with director Poitras already working on a film about surveillance in the US, a country unconsciously (I hope) sacrificing their liberties in the name of security, in the name of the war of terror after 9/11. What Poitras show us is appalling and disturbing well even before Snowden reaches her. Same can be said about Glenn Greenwald's work too, as he is the other one in front of the camera, creating journalistic pieces explaining the whole issue, being invited to talk in front of selected audiences on the crucial revelations. He has one blatant scene in Rio de Janeiro when he just says that this is not about security or terrorism but to gather as much information about economy, privileged information for corporations, so the US economic machinery is still on top. Funny when liberals and capitalism defenders say they are against regulations but use the government to control you, don't you think? Funny when a nation forces other country to sit on a negotiation table on behalf of international agreements/law but at the same time mocks any of these more basic principles going beyond its borders in its demented espionage paranoia, don't you coincide?. Funny when a president uses Malcolm Luther King's words about freedom and equality but he's eroding civil liberties inside and outside the borders of the nation he governs, don't you agree?
 
The amount of lies & liars documented on “Citizenfour' is depressing. But for me, it's even more dispiriting to have the feeling, as a puzzling open debate within the EU wisely points out, a vast majority of citizens in the Western World has given up. Are we really ok with the idea of being permanently watched, monitored, controlled? Do we love our digital devices so much that are more important than our privacy? Are we ready to say bye to our democratic system and became politically-correct dictatorhips regimes? Have we been asked about it? I haven't. And I still want my rights. Don't you? A good starting point to react and do something might be watching this film. Thanks Poitras, Greenwald and, of course, Citizenfour.

SCORE: 8,5/10

"Killing Them Softly", capitalism or death

Killing Them Softly

Yeah, I know, the title of the post is pretty bizarre for what it looks like another neo-noir thriller. Noir thrillers are not odd, they usually use (overuse I dare to say) some very determined and classical pattern with slight or more radical ("state-of-the-art", "cool" are also words that come to my mind) visual variations, putting style ahead of substance. But "Kiling Them Softly" is different. Is the first "capitalist thriller" I have ever seen. You must be thinking, what the hell is a capitalist thriller? Let me try to explain myself.

"Killing Them Softly" is, on the surface, a pure thriller dealing with the criminal world. An using a recurrent topic/premise: what in the mafia jargon is called a "contract".  Jackie Cogan is an enforcer recruited to solve a situation (meaning killing the responsible) created by three guys who robbed at a mob protected card game. But the unsurprising, common ground of the premise quickly reveals much more.

It is obvious, since almost the beginning the movie is not really interested on the robbers. They are amateurs and pretty dumb (one of them just a scum), therefore fated to a dramatic end. But director Andrew Dominik adapting George V.Higgins' novel "Cogan's Trade", want to talk about something much more bigger than a crazy robbery. They use that scenario as a metaphor of capitalism, with the United States as the evident background. Well, maybe I should rephrase this paragraph, maybe this is about a crazy robbery after all. The biggest, most despicable and crazy robbery mankind is suffering.

What Jackie Cogan is paid to do is not eliminating three stupid guys, but restore the collapsed local criminal economy. Cogan and the unnamed driver with whom he has the arrangements discuss about murders, but mostly about economy (every dollar counts, more in this choking economic crisis context) and the "public image" that has to be rebuilt. Their capitalist structure, the status quo, has to be preserved by all means. Does it sound familiar to you? It does.

In that context, violence is just a tool, another mean to reach the desired end. Cogan, portrayed with a disarming naturalness by Brad Pitt, could be a gangster, but also the perfect public relations. The film has some violent  scenes, not many, but is mostly a movie about conversations. Criminals wearing suits and ties talking about the needed steps to be taken. Did I hear bankers and politicians? The driver, played by the always perfect Richard Jenkins is an accountant, that's for sure, and you'll see Obama too many times on the screen to just think is a coincidence. Remember than words can also be weapons.

Unfortunately, "Killing Them Softly" somewhat fails as a movie. It has a peculiar, off-beat pace that harms its dynamism. Without it, some scenes seem to be there to make fun, a peculiar, deadpan humour that is, but they don't mix that well as a whole. And to my understanding, director Andrew Dominik makes terrible mistakes of presenting several relevant elements in its narration to abandon them later on. Mickey's character (another great performance by James Gandolfini) and Dillon's ghostly role are the two most blatant examples. It was just a (bad) editing choice? It might be the first film in ages in which I have the feeling the movie is too short... for what it wants to say.

Capitalism or death. But let's try your murder to be as delicate as possible.... Damn it again, doesn't sound familiar to you? Failed movie, but brave, risky, smart, well acted and thought-provoking.

SCORE: 6,5/10

"Inside Job", the Wall Street World Government

Inside Job

"The politicians do not rule the world, Goldman-Sachs in Government". These are the words of Alessio Rastani, an anonymous stock market trader until this week, when he got interviewed, in all his shameless and shameful honesty, at BBC News, shocking the world with his message. It's not the only one-liner he said that deserves to be remembered. "If you know how, you can make money off a crash!", and "in less than a year the savings will be gone for millions of people without that neither markets nor governments can do anything" are painstakingly examples of what and who leads of the world these days. His position, attitude, words and message are the best summary of "Inside Job", a film that dissects how and who put the world into the economic crisis we are facing. Welcome to the Wall Street World Government.

Director Charles Ferguson, who won the best documentary award at the Oscars, divides the film in a five episodes structure to analyse all sides to take the closest look at what brought about the financial meltdown. The idea and aim is excellent, as we have a comprehensive and very detailed analysis, but the episodes are seriously unbalanced.

After a very good start with the background of the recession in which we go to Iceland before setting the movie at the United States, we move into episodes 2 and 3, where the crisis is carefully explained...with too many facts, numbers and graphics. Don't get me wrong, a serious documentary must inform and give facts, but in my opinion, there's too much and too fast in the film. I have serious concerns about if "Inside Job" can connect with the general audience and not just the people already interested. Worse, I'm among "the already interested" and I admit some of the information provided wasn't fully assimilated, and that I missed some analysis on the role of international institutions (if any) or a wider scope (not just the States). In the other hand, watching the film should be mandatory at schools. Its a documentary that requires to be studied, not just watched.

On the contrary, chapter 4, "Accountability", has to be highlighted on its own. Brilliant from start to finish, offers a side of the crisis completely overlooked. The role of education and economic schools in which politicians, corporations and the markets find their ideological support that seems to have the power to justify that deregulation, bank rescues or lately, cuts on social services, are necessary for the good of economy. "Inside Job" reveals, thanks to sharp and smart interviews, that is a lie. Education has been as corrupted, hypocrite and selfish as banks and politicians, and therefore they are responsible of that crisis as well.

The final chapter "Where are we now" is the other standout moment of "Inside Job". Without any political bias, Ferguson points out how the Obama administration is almost entirely composed by the same people that was behind the crisis, whether in previous political or corporative positions. So you can easily guess what's the conclusion. On the not so good side, there's a slight outburst at the very end of the film, losing part of its remarkable objectivity until that point.

"Why should a financial engineer be paid four times to 100 times more than a real engineer? A real engineer build bridges. A financial engineer build dreams. And, you know, when those dreams turn out to be nightmares, other people pay for it". The words of Andrew Sheng are the best summary of the crisis, so I will save you some time skipping the rants and insults I'm tempted to utter. In what regards to "Inside Job", I believe is a must-see. My suggestion would be to combine it with Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story", as together they provide a complete and powerful picture. Moore is more focused on the people affected by the crisis, the human side, and as it less dense in the explanation of the crisis, while Ferguson's is more objective and informative. Hey! At least there's one thing we have to thank the crisis for. Some filmmakers have been moved to direct great and insightful movies about it.

SCORE: 6,75/10