Oliver Stone raises controversy with his subtitle for “Snowden.”
When it was announced that Oliver Stone was doing an Edward Snowden film people knew that controversy would arise. The hot political, moral discussion around Snowden has the United States divided on whether his actions were justified or not. Now based on Oliver Stone’s subtitle displayed at the end of the first trailer we may know Stone’s stand on Edward Snowden. Take a look at the trailer below as it ends with the subtitle, “One Nation Under Surveillance For Liberty and Justice For All.”
It seems as though Joseph Gordon-Levitt may be portraying a more “heroic” version of Edward Snowden catering to his supporters rather than being impartial. Or it could be that Oliver Stone’s opinion may not be a factor in this film and it could just be an aspect of creating a good story.
It’s much more interesting to paint the United States as a surveillance/Orwellian state rather than just having a fugitive on the run. We’ve seen the “treasonous fugitive on the run” many times in film but adding the element of our “home” being the enemy could entice viewers to see “Snowden” and create a much more interesting film.
While this trailer may be just a teaser, it does elude to the fact that “Snowden” will be a film that stirs up controversy. Films like “The Fifth Estate,” which covered a similar subject, failed to captivate audiences and also failed to appeal to critics. Maybe Oliver Stone realized that he needs to break away from this subject matter and stir more controversy to create an appealing film with a blatant opinion. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt attached and this controversial subtitle, I’m sure that many will be intrigued by “Snowden’s” subject matter.