Filmmaker Laura Poitras, director of the Oscar-winning 2014 documentary Citizenfour on Edward Snowden, here turns her camera on controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who she filmed on and off between 2011-16. Much of the focus of this scattershot Showtime-aired film is on Assange's time spent in the Ecuadorian embassy in London while awaiting further action by Swedish authorities regarding sexual assault charges. Poitras interviews Assange at various times (the chronology is incoherent as Assange's haircut and facial hair constantly shift) and he shares some of his philosophy regarding global transparency while also acting somewhat paranoid. But a fair amount of Risk is presented cinema vérité, with Assange peeking out windows or engaging in furtive-feeling phone conversations (the viewer can hear only Assange's side, and that is often banal). Other members of Assange's team are also followed, including Sarah Harrison and Jacob Appelbaum, the latter appearing in a long sequence berating Egyptian telecom representatives over censorship during a panel discussion (this odd sequence raises further questions when Poitras later admits to being briefly “involved” with Appelbaum, who is hit with charges of sexual harassment by others). Even more pointless is a segment with Lady Gaga interviewing Assange: the latter doesn't say much and the former isn't really listening. Since so much of Assange's story is already well-worn news, there is not much that is surprising here. While not as current, a better film about Assange is Alex Gibney's We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (VL-11/13). Still, given Poitras's name recognition and high-profile subject, this is a strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)
Risk
Virgil, 93 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99, Sept. 26 Volume 32, Issue 6
Risk
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