Zero Days

Between the wave of true-crime and celebrity docs, Zero Days in Australia on Foxtel Now and DocPlay, and in the US on Dox Amazon Channel and Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel is the one worth your evening. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 264 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Yossi Melman's involvement signals a level of cooperation that is hard to secure. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Foxtel Now.

Zero Days is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. What makes Zero Days work is a willingness to sit with complexity instead of resolving it neatly. Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to specifically sabotage Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the complex computer worm ended up not only infecting its intended target but also spreading uncontrollably. Yossi Melman and Ralph Langner bring credibility that the subject matter deserves. It was released in 2016. Zero Days lets its subjects speak for themselves rather than shaping them into a predetermined narrative. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Anyone after documentary work that genuinely informs rather than confirms will value Zero Days. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. The access the production gets is remarkable, and the storytelling does full justice to it. Worth watching in order, from the beginning.

Zero Days was released in 2016, directed by Alex Gibney. The full 116-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.