“SNOWDEN”: Blowing the Whistle on

Government Misconduct, And Paying the

Price

Hearing the term "Snowden," a casual thriller movie immediately comes to mind. Not at
all. I have just seen the movie and it is not just based on real events; it is a dramatization of the
actual events. The movie had a statement that said, "Secrecy is security and security is victory."
Not only is privacy an important aspect of our culture, but also of life in general. The freedom
from interruption and intrusion is a human right. The story of the film centers on a clever but naïve
patriot who, while working for the National Security Agency (NSA), chose to quit his position and
become a whistleblower against the United States after seeing numerous instances of unlawful and
immoral global espionage.

It started in Hongkong, 13th of June 2013, where documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras
meets with journalist Glenn Greenwald at Mira Hotel. They met with Edward Joseph Snowden,
who by that time were playing with a Rubik’s cube as an indication of his arrival. All three went
into a room to document a very essential and confidential information. A flashback at Fort
Benning, Georgia in 2004 follows. Snowden was enlisted in the Special Forces. He suffered an
injury when he broke his leg after landing on them during a drill. The doctor warns Snowden about
the condition of the bones in his legs which eventually led him to be administratively discharged.
In 2006 at Virginia, he began training for a position in Central Intelligence Agency under Corbin
O’Brian. His first test is to solve a problem using a sequence which to Corbin’s surprise, he
finished within 38 minutes. Snowden explained that he worked on the process where he broke the
sequence to save time. Along the way, Snowden met an engineer and instructor named Hank
Forrester. Following is his meet up with Lindsay Mills. The girl he met online way back when he
was in part of the Special Forces. Back in the present, June 4, 2013, in Hongkong, Snowden,
Poitras, and Greenwald are joined by Mr. Ewen MacAskill which is a reporter from The Guardian.
Snowden relayed confidential information to MacAskill which is forwarded to Janine Gibson who
is an editor in The Guardian. Then, a flashback to Geneva in 2007. Snowden’s assignment was to
be a diplomatic cover to the UN mission to maintain the CIA’s computer security network. At a
party with a number of diplomats, Snowden meets a banker which later on he learns through his
colleague, Gabriel Sol, that the banker is being looked up, and that the program the CIA is
developing allows them to spy on people through lenses even when they are not being used. He
spent two years around the CIA field officer. Snowden is supposed to go to London but was not
able to as he resigned his job in the CIA due to his workmates who acts as if having no morals.
Following is what happened in Yokota Air Base, Tokyo in 2009 where he built this round-the-
clock backup system called Epic Shelter. If there will be any catastrophe, the program ensures that
no data will be lost. He went back to work in CIA as a Solutions Consultant. He hawks overpriced
hardware for a living. Next, Snowden found out that he has an epilepsy. In the present, back in
Hongkong, June 5, 2013, Glenn got angry over Janine as she hesitates in publishing Snowden’s
documents. In 2012 at Oahu, Hawaii, Snowden’s new job is counter spying on the Chinese NSA
Regional Cryptological Center. During his discussion with his colleagues, Snowden shared his
plan to make a centralized database to keep track of the different programs which he plans on
calling Heartbeat, like an index, that updates in real time. He then realizes that the government is
actively spying on people through several programs, including PRISM. He begins compiling the
documents he finds into a dossier, each of which contains details about the NSA's spying
techniques. Snowden also found out that the email of his girlfriend, Lindsay, is being monitored.
Back at work, Snowden seizes the chance to obtain the documents when one team's work is
disrupted. Snowden uploaded the files onto his disk while everyone was busy, and he was able to
grab all he needed before anybody else noticed, with the exception of his coworker Patrick. He
then places the drive into one of the Rubik's cube's spaces. To avoid from being scanned in the
security, he tossed the cube to a security officer and act normally to avoid suspicion. He felt happy
and accomplished as he leaves the place. With the movie about to end, Snowden’s documents are
published by The Guardian. Thousand of articles and countless news were released worldwide. He
has been charged with espionage, theft, and conversion of government property. Snowden is trying
to make his way from Russia to Cuba and then to Ecuador for political asylum. After more than
one year of temporary asylum in Russia, Snowden received a three-year residency permit in
Russia. The last scene happened in an auditorium where Snowden makes an appearance through a
monitor. He mentioned that he is willing to go under trial if the trial is fair and public. We then see
the Real Edward Snowden saying that he gained a new life after what happened which is better
because he no longer must worry about what happens tomorrow because he is happy with what he
has done today. The final text states that as of this date, Edward Snowden resides in Moscow with
Lindsay Mills.

The movie's plot can be difficult to follow because it frequently cuts to flashback scenes.
Initially, this made it challenging to distinguish between the many characters in the film. Despite
that, in his role as Edward Snowden, Joseph Gordon-Levitt excelled. He is the major strength of
the film. The character's intelligence is hinted at in inexpensive touches, but Gordon-Levitt's
expressive eyes work best for this. Shailene Woodley as Lindsay Mills also did a great job. At
first, I thought that she is just one of the side characters as Snowden’s girlfriend but turns out I was
wrong. A lot of her scenes are relatable which only on the way she portrayed it made the connection
with the audience possible. The three journalists namely Melissa Leo as Poitras, Zachary Quinto
as Greenwald, and Tom Wilkinson as MacAskill did great contributions to the movie. They portray
their roles in a well manner, especially Quinto who shouts angrily at random moments, keeping
the audience on their toes. I am also very much amazed of how Rhys Ifans portray Corbin O’Brian.
At the beginning of the movie, he already made an impact through how he delivers his words.
Nicolas Cage, who acted as Hank Forrester, did not really left an impact on me except for the few
words he left which includes “sometimes, the more you look, the less you see.” Aside from the
few characters mentioned above, most of the side characters did a great job as well in portraying
their roles aside from Joely Richardson who portrayed Janine Gibson and LaKeith Lee Stanfield
as Patrick Haynes. They only had a few screentime and even so, I did not see the connection they
have with their characters. Expression in their eyes is missing.

Watching the multi-layered and complicated story of Snowden’s act of whistleblowing, I

am in a great state of confusion at first. Even so, one thing that I liked about the movie is how it
gave us a great opportunity to clarify our thoughts and feelings regarding the surveillance state. It
somehow wants to make us cautious of our every move as we might be being watched. There were
too many scenes that needs to be analyzed in order to figure out the whole point of the movie. The
part that leads me to understanding the movie is Snowden and Sol’s scene where they showed the
different information of a banker. This led me to a conclusion that Snowden’s role is to save the
world from the government’s global spying. It shows how a specific information of one person
leads in a great revelation about the life of another. Indeed, today's technology puts an end to
privacy and gives those in power control over the lives and secrets of ordinary citizens. One of the
few aspects of the film that I did not enjoy was the difficult shift from the present to the past or
vice versa. The opening moments take place in Hong Kong in 2013, where Snowden initially met
the journalist. Then, all of a sudden, a 2004 flashback in Fort Benning, Georgia, appeared,
revealing that Snowden was a member of the Special Forces. Because of its ambiguity, the first
half of the film was dull.

There are numerous lessons to be learned from the film. First, the phrase Lindsay Mills
said, "I have nothing to lie," which I distinctly recall. The character of Snowden in the movie
claims that everyone has something to conceal and needs privacy, whether it is intimate family
information or just a few computer passwords. People may claim to be open and transparent, but
one day a hacker or significant digital backlash will expose how unfounded these claims are.
Hackers may potentially use the data they collect against you. Second, the film flashes a warning
that everyone may be watching what we do. It serves as a reminder that we should be cautious
about what we publish on social media and even how we use our devices because our every move
makes a difference. Last but not least, the public demonstrates that one majority considers Edward
Snowden to be a "patriot" deserving of a pardon while another one views him as a "traitor." This
movie automatically assumes that Snowden was the lone hero taking charge, the lone brave one
prepared to stop atrocities and change things for his country. It demonstrates to us that not
everyone will appreciate our deeds since they will not all comprehend its justification.
 It is outstanding when people do movies about recent events. Usually, documentaries will
be released but about Snowden’s whistle blowing, a movie was released. Even if you are not a
lover of documentaries but are aware of the many political issues, "Snowden" is a fantastic movie
to see because it discusses recent real-life occurrences. When I initially viewed the movie, it was
a little perplexing, but I think my perspective would change if I knew what actually occurred in
real time. In contrast to me, I would like to suggest this movie to those who are fascinated about
thrillers and the government. I would also take the time to recommend this movie to my relatives
and friends that overshare personal information, particularly on a public platform like Facebook,
Instagram, etc. for them to be aware and be cautious. The overall quality of the film is good despite
the fact that I had trouble keeping up with the scenes at first. A fantastic movie about a
whistleblower who is subject to considerably worse punishments simply for returning home.