Risk

Freedom is something that was fought for in the world wars, but also after them, and the worst part is that we're still fighting for it because it's denied to us or to some for various reasons. Julian Assange is proof of that. And, in fact, so is the whole WikiLeaks thing. I still don't have freedom in what information we get or can pass on. Is that really a good thing? And is it good that people who just want to inform suffer? A good, personal documentary. (30.08.2017)

Like Citizenfour, Risk is shot as a paranoid thriller that plays out in an atmosphere of rising mistrust. The danger here does not come only from the outside. Not even people from the immediate vicinity can be trusted. As the director confides to us in additionally recorded off-screen commentary (the original cut sounded less critical toward Assange), she does not have a good feeling about the main object of her interest – a sexual predator who may have contributed to Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election by leaking information. Assange is definitely a less transparent figure than Snowden, which is also reflected in the structure of the documentary, which itself is less focused (and gripping) than Citizenfour, imbued with the director’s doubts. Assange is styled into the role of Jason Bourne (a bizarre scene involving a motorcycle ride), whose main weapon is information and who uses self-centred philosophical monologues instead of punches as a means of defence. He almost seems to enjoy the fact that he is being watched, thanks to which he can present himself as a person who is so influential that it is beneath him to address his personal life in the media (an interview with an intoxicated Lady Gaga, who disinterestedly listens to him talk about all of the people out to get him). But are global issues a reason to ignore local issues? Is it possible to trust a person who calls for maximum transparency, but equivocates when it comes to his own actions? I don’t think so. Besides presenting a portrait of a highly self-contradictory figure, Risk secondarily demonstrates why it is so difficult for women to assert themselves in the field of IT, where the main say is had by men with bloated egos, such as Assange and Appelbaum, who occasionally utter an inappropriate sexist remark (to which the women present react with embarrassed looks) and are not averse to abusing their own power. It seems peculiar to me that a film filled with doubts about who can be trusted and who actually acts properly does not offer any definitive answer and ends with a big question mark. From this perspective, it is an accurate reflection of the chaotic nature of the age in which we live and of which people like Julian Assange are emblematic. 75% (14.03.2018)