Citizenfour

Skip the surface-level coverage elsewhere — Citizenfour, in Australia on Foxtel Now and DocPlay, and in the US on Philo and Hoopla, goes deeper. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. Its 8/10 TMDB score, built from 1,427 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. The access the production secured is remarkable, and it does justice to it. Put it on tonight on Foxtel Now and see for yourself.

Citizenfour is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Citizenfour resists the urge to oversimplify a subject that deserves better. In June 2013, Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her. Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald give the storytelling a level of trust that shows. It hit screens in 2014. The restraint in Citizenfour is what makes it trustworthy — it does not need to editorialise to make its point. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

For viewers who want their entertainment to leave them with something, Citizenfour delivers on both counts. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. The subject drives every choice here, not the other way around. The kind of production you finish and immediately want to read more about.

Citizenfour was released in 2014, directed by Laura Poitras. The full 113-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.