Laura Poitras' new documentary, "Citzenfour," is the kind of stirring thriller that David Fincher or Paul Greengrass could have turned into a feature film. Part of that feeling comes from the way Poitras films Edward Snowden's interviews with Glenn Greenwald, clandestine meetings that bubble with creeping paranoia and mounting tension; part of it comes from the music, which sounds like the most Trent Reznor-y score this side of "The Social Network." As it turns out, there's a reason for that second one: the two most prominent songs in "Citzenfour" are by Reznor's Nine Inch Nails.
Both tracks come from "Ghosts I-IV," the 2008 album that was released long before Reznor won an Oscar for "The Social Network." The first, "02 Ghosts I," sets an eerie stage for "Citizenfour"; the second, "20 Ghosts IV," provides more of a hyperactive chase motif.
But if Reznor's brand of industrial instrumental work doesn't interest you, there's this: "Citizenfour" also includes a brief snippet of Selena Gomez's "Come and Get It" video, which is on in the background during a sequence where Snowden is packing his bags. A better distillation of what life was like in the spring 2013 might not be found on screen this year.
"Citizenfour" is out now in limited release.
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