Film Review: Risk
Share:
3.7/5
Renowned documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras returned to the screen in this year with a new project, Risk. This new film documents the character of the controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, using footage gathered over five years.
For those who are unaware of Julian Assange, it’s best to do some reading up on him before the film as, in places, you can get a bit lost, especially with WikiLeaks. Assange is currently living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London as he is seeking political asylum following allegations of rape made against him in Sweden that could see him extradited which, he believes, would open him up to the American government who would put him in prison. Poitras captures Assange in the Embassy in the film and, it has to be said, it is an uncomfortable place to be living.
While Risk provides you with an insight into the work of Assange before he took political asylum, it doesn’t hone in on it as much as a viewer expects. However, this is something Laura Poitras herself admitted as Assange’s comments about the women who made the rape allegations about him were questionable to say the least and utterly infuriating at most.
Looking at how Assange defends himself against rape claims by saying one of the two women who accused him of rape set up a lesbian club is sickening. Whether he is guilty or not. What you get from that footage, and from Poitras’ capturing of Assange’s lawyer Helena Kennedy QC Kennedy telling him it is not helpful to speak about the women this way, to which Assange responds: “No, not publicly,” is his complete arrogance.
Assange continues, saying: “An actual court case is going to be very hard for these women … they will be reviled forever by a large segment of the world population. I don’t think it’s in their interest to proceed that way.”
Risk is, overall, a good watch, and certainly interesting in terms of Assange’s character. You will probably finish the film hating his guts and knowing only a little more about WikiLeaks, but with such footage, it is only right Poitras included it in her project. It’s not as good as Poitras’ Citizenfour about another whistle-blower Edward Snowden which is thrilling and informative, but it is worth a watch if you are interested in these issues.