No documentary has ever won best picture–but some critics think that should change this year.
Citizenfour, the documentary following the early days of Edward Snowden’s revelations on NSA spying, is definitely on the short list for best documentary, but some think it could also be a long-shot for best picture.
One Hollywood Reporter forecast even counted it as one of ten frontrunners for the best picture category, and director Laura Poitras as a “possibility” for best director. A separate Hollywood Reporter projection has Citizenfour as a “major threat” for best documentary and Poitras as a “long shot” for best director.
The documentary follows Poitras’ and Glenn Greenwald’s first few secret meetings with Snowden in a hotel in Hong Kong. Before their physical meeting, the journalists knew virtually nothing about Snowden, and had communicated with him only through encrypted emails in which he identified himself as “Citizen Four.” The film documents their tense first meetings, where the journalists were shocked to discover how young Snowden was (they had assumed that only an older man with less life to live would be willing to risk spending the rest of it in prison.)
Variety’s senior film and media reporter, Brent Lang, has penned a detailed argument for why Citizenfour should beat the historical odds to win best picture. Despite the divisive nature of Snowden’s mission and the film’s several flaws—some, including myself, may find parts of the film painfully slow and awkward, and Glenn Greenwald is not destined for an on-camera career—Lang argues that Citizenfour’s political relevance and impact makes it a singular documentary deserving of the award:
Lang also calls the film’s final shot of Snowden and his girlfriend cooking dinner, poignantly filmed from outside their kitchen window, “one of the year’s most ambiguous and enduring images”: “ It’s unclear if this is a scene of domestic tranquility or a glimpse of a life of stultifying confinement. Did Snowden flee prison only to find a different kind of captivity?”
The documentary has already won several awards and critical acclaim. It took home the International Documentary Association’s award for best feature earlier this month, while Poitras will receive a $5,000 prize from DOC NYC’s first Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence.
Watch the original trailer below:
