#TIFF16: “SNOWDEN”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

Where does one start with Oliver Stone? The man has made some incredible Films and fortunately hia newest effort, Snowden it falls in this category.

Joseph-Gordon Levitt stars as Edward Snowden the man who single-handedly took down the National Security Agency. Snowden was one of the youngest recruits to the NSA and took it upon himself to make it known through the leaking of highly-classified documents proving the government had access to our communication devices. However, how does Snowden go about his noble feat while protecting himself and the ones he loves, including Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley) his girlfriend?

What makes Snowden so facinating is the amount of detail the Film reveals about Snowden’s journey, even if it feels disjointed at times with its non-linear approach. The Film falls flat slightly within the Third Act in what should be Snowden‘s intense escape from prosecution. However the performances from both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley are remarkable.

SNOWDEN screens Friday, September 9, 2016 at 9:30 PM at Roy Thomson Hall and Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 12:00 PM at Roy Thomson Hall.