Citizenfour

Year: 2014

Runtime: 114 min

Language: English

Director: Laura Poitras

Documentary

Filmmaker Laura Poitras received an urgent message from a mysterious source, "Citizenfour," leading her to Hong Kong to investigate unsettling claims about national security. There, she joined journalist Glenn Greenwald to meet Edward Snowden, who possessed classified documents exposing the extent of NSA surveillance. The encounter ignited a tense and revealing series of events as they worked to understand and release Snowden's explosive whistleblowing revelations to the world.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Citizenfour yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Citizenfour (2014)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Citizenfour (2014). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Location

Hong Kong, Berlin, Russia, Moscow, Sheremetyevo International Airport

The movie primarily takes place in Hong Kong, a vibrant city known for its skyline and deep-rooted history as a global financial hub. Here, a clandestine meeting unfolds in a hotel room where crucial information about government surveillance is shared. The narrative also extends to Berlin and Moscow, both significant locations in the context of asylum and political refuge, highlighting the interplay between safety and political unrest.

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Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 19:25

Main Characters – Citizenfour (2014)

Meet the key characters of Citizenfour (2014), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 19:25

Major Themes – Citizenfour (2014)

Explore the central themes of Citizenfour (2014), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 19:25

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Urgent real-time thrillers like Citizenfour

White-knuckle stories where high-stakes events unfold in a confined space.If you liked the claustrophobic tension and real-time unfolding of events in Citizenfour, explore these movies. They capture the same high-stakes anxiety and sense of being trapped in a moment of historic consequence, often using a confined setting to amplify the drama.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread are defined by their immediacy and confinement. The plot often unfolds in a compressed timeline within a limited space, forcing characters to make critical decisions under extreme duress. The story structure is typically linear and driven by a singular, escalating crisis.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together for their shared ability to generate intense, sustained tension through a real-time narrative structure and a constrained setting. They prioritize a palpable feeling of anxiety and immediacy over complex plotting.

Whistleblower exposé documentaries like Citizenfour

Gripping accounts of individuals risking everything to expose powerful secrets.For viewers who enjoyed the journalistic investigation and high-stakes revelations of Citizenfour, this thread collects movies about real-life whistleblowers. Discover similar stories of courageous individuals exposing secrets, facing persecution, and sparking public debates on ethics and power.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a predictable but powerful arc: discovery of a hidden truth, moral conflict over whether to act, the perilous process of exposing the information, and the profound personal and political consequences that follow. The journey is often solitary and fraught with paranoia.

Why These Movies?

These movies are united by their focus on the whistleblower archetype and the thematic exploration of truth versus power. They share a heavy emotional weight, a tense and cerebral tone, and an ending that is often ambiguous or bittersweet, reflecting the complex fallout of such acts.

Unlock the Full Story of Citizenfour

Don't stop at just watching — explore Citizenfour in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Citizenfour is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Citizenfour Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Citizenfour, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Citizenfour Timeline

Track the full timeline of Citizenfour with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Citizenfour Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Citizenfour that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

More About Citizenfour

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Citizenfour: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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Discover movies like Citizenfour that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.