The majority of my real job is editing people talking and the maximum length of my videos is usually 2 minutes. This doc is almost 2 hours and I could have easily edited it down to a tight hour or an interesting 90 minutes. The most extraordinary thing about this film is the footage of Edward Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel, as he prepares for the release of the famous NSA documents. Filmmaker Laura Poitras offers an absorbing glimpse into the man and his motives. Unfortunately, in an attempt to add miniscule moments of insight (which they usually didn’t) and arty cinematic touches (which they usually weren’t) almost every shot is held too long and the details are just dull. Even with the ominous drone in the soundtrack, the potential tension never materializes. Poitras’ exclusive peek is fascinating, but she could have used a more judicious hand in the edit.
(3 / 5)