In our era of digital saturation, privacy has evolved significantly. And since we spend so much time online, some of the perils we face have to do with the digital world. Topics such as the dangers of technology, and issues related to online security and digital data have made for compelling storytelling in movies and shows, with gems like Minority Report, Mr. Robot, and Black Mirror using such premises to create fascinating dystopian realities that aren’t too different from our own. Films are a great way to explore topics we don’t know much about, so whether you’re interested in learning more about the digital world or you’re simply looking for a gripping drama or a tense thriller exploring such topics, there is so much available out there.
In our era of digital saturation, privacy has evolved significantly. And since we spend so much time online, some of the perils we face have to do with the digital world. Topics such as the dangers of technology, and issues related to online security and digital data have made for compelling storytelling in movies and shows, with gems like Minority Report, Mr. Robot, and Black Mirror using such premises to create fascinating dystopian realities that aren’t too different from our own. Films are a great way to explore topics we don’t know much about, so whether you’re interested in learning more about the digital world – cybersecurity, individual and collective privacy, the role of virtual private networks, or VPN: you name it – or you’re simply looking for a gripping drama or a tense thriller exploring such topics, there is so much available out there.
1. 2073
Asif Kapadia
Let’s start with this festival gem from Oscar and BAFTA-winning director, writer and producer Asif Kapadia (Amy), whose latest film has just had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Unlike some of the filmmaker’s previous work, 2073 is not a documentary but, rather, a tale that blends truth and fiction to craft a gripping, unconventional sci-fi tale that unfolds across different timelines and settings. The movie begins in 2073, imagining a future where the world as we know it is gone, and the capital of “the Americas” is an underground hub called New San Francisco. We follow Ghost (Samantha Morton), who lives underground, trying to hide from a government that surveils its citizen’s every movement, deciding who can remain and who is simply made to disappear.
This is only the beginning of a documentary that keeps evolving from one genre to another, starting out as a dystopian sci-fi fiction and slowly turning into a much more disquieting, documentary-like look at other settings and eras that we’re painfully familiar with: London, 2016; India, 2002; China, 1997. As we keep switching from the familiarity of our flawed world to the unknown of Ghost’s one, we come to realize how one became the other, all while looking at a variety of timely issues. 2073 looks at a wide variety of topics, including the dangers of totalitarian regimes, the climate crisis, police brutality, and the use of surveillance to sway nations, which is where digital privacy comes in. 2073 won’t be for everyone, but it’s a fascinating blend of styles and topics that you’ll find yourself thinking about for a long time after the credits roll.
2. Citizenfour
Laura Poitras
Remember director Laura Poitras, who gave us Nan Goldin documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed back in 2022? One of her most acclaimed and fascinating works is her Oscar-nominated doc Citizenfour (2014), which starts from an unbelievable premise. It all began when Poitras started receiving encrypted emails from someone who claimed they had information on some problematic covert-surveillance programs set up by the US government. This led her on a trip to Hong Kong, accompanied by journalist Glenn Greenwald, to meet the person who had been sending those emails, and that person turned out to be Edward Snowden. Citizenfour is documentary-making at its best and yet another proof of Poitras’ talent for telling stories that couldn’t be more relevant in a way that blends genres conventions and really gets you thinking about the issues it confronts. It’s a must-watch from one of our best documentarians!
3. Enemy of the State
Tony Scott
Here’s a classic that you’ll want to add to your watchlist if you’re into tense thrillers with an underlying message. Tony Scott’s (True Romance) 1998 gem Enemy of the State begins when a corrupt NSA official named Thomas Reynolds (Jon Voight) arranges for a congressman to be murdered in order to make sure a new surveillance legislation passes. But a tape of the murder somehow finds its way to a man named Robert Clayton Dean (Will Smith), a lawyer – not to mention a husband and a father – who, just like that, finds himself framed for a murder he didn’t commit. And so this gripping thriller truly begins, with Robert fighting from the authorities and trying to prove his innocence with the help of an ex-intelligence agent (Gene Hackman).
When two acting giants like Will Smith and Gene Hackman are involved in a project, you know that project is going to be worth watching. Here, we are treated to two fantastic central performances, but the script is another standout in a movie that will have your eyes glued to the screen for its entire duration.
4. Kimi
Steven Soderbergh
What happens when COVID hits and you’re Steven Soderbergh? A film that was clearly influenced by the pandemic and was made all the better because of it. Kimi takes place in Seattle, where a tech company has created the titular smart speaker: think Siri or Alexa, except this one has a fundamental difference; it’s actually controlled by humans. But this means that, when the company’s employees are listening to recordings to fix errors and improve the speaker’s OS, they also invade the customers’ lives.
The film revolves around a blue-haired woman named Angela (Zoë Kravitz), who works at the company and is already carrying her share of burden, since the film takes place during the pandemic, which led to her being assaulted not long before. For this reason, her interactions with Kimi and what she does for a living are the only relationships she has with the world. And though she’s perfectly fine with living a solitary life, one day something happens that places her right in the middle of a murder involving the company’s CEO. It’s best if you discover the rest on your own, but trust us: you won’t be disappointed.
5. We Live in Public
Ondi Timoner
Ondi Timoner’s 2009 documentary is as disturbing as it is oddly intriguing. We Live in Public reveals the true story of something that took place in 1999, when an online enterpreneur named Josh Harris contacted a series of young men and women and somehow convinced them to live in underground capsule apartments where their lives would be not only recorded at all time, but also made public on the internet. Not only that, but even Harris himself joins in, with his girlfriend, and we get to watch their every movement, completely invading their privacy.
What is the role of technology in our modern world? How should all these advancements be used? Is it ok to intrude on someone’s life if that person is aware of it, or should we not give in to our voyeuristic habits? We Live in Public is an incredibly compelling documentary that will have you thinking about all this and more, and that you shouldn’t miss.
The 5 films listed above all explore the complexities of digital privacy in different ways, and each of them stands as an interesting movie in its own, whether you’re looking for a documentary, a gripping thriller, or a thought-provoking drama. Enjoy!
