THE STORY – Uncovers the insidious ways in which our daily lives are being surveilled by the state. In a gripping chase, Ronan Farrow travels across the world following breadcrumbs and finally exposing a dark world.
THE CAST – Elies Campo, Will Cathcart & Ron Deibert
THE TEAM – Matthew O’Neill, Perri Peltz (Directors/Writers) & Ronan Farrow (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 60 Minutes
Ronan Farrow is no stranger to the spotlight. Most notably, the renowned journalist helped crack open the story that would eventually lead to the conviction of Harvey Weinstein. Not to mention the fact that his parents are fairly well-known. The new documentary “Surveilled” takes advantage of Farrow’s unusual level of fame and places him front and center. It’s a wise choice, as the charismatic reporter knows how to hold an audience’s attention. The subject matter covered by the documentary is alarming, upsetting, and, unfortunately, not surprising, but the film doesn’t capture it in a way that fully justifies its existence.
Farrow’s 2022 New Yorker article “How Democracies Spy on Its Citizens” details international governments’ frightening use of spyware. While they often claim to be using it only to track suspected terrorists and other bad actors, there’s enough troubling evidence to show that such technology can and has been used to surveil innocent citizens. For example, it was proven that the Spanish government used spyware to infiltrate the phones of Catalan independence activists. And, in America, the FBI claimed that it purchased such software (namely, spyware called Pegasus developed by the Israel-based NSO Group) only to test it and see how it could be used by those acting in bad faith, which is obviously a tenuous, nerve-racking claim for such a powerful governmental entity.
“Surveilled” is essentially a visual version of the article while also following Farrow as he interviews both victims of invasive surveillance and the people who make such acts possible. Incredibly, Farrow is able to not only tour NSO Group’s headquarters in Israel but he’s also allowed to speak on the record with employees of varying levels. The intelligence firm has no qualms about the type of work they do, and all of its workers proudly espouse the company line that their spyware can help make the world more peaceful.
There are shocking revelations aplenty throughout the film, but unfortunately, it’s not captured in a way that could be described as anything close to cinematic. The camera merely follows Farrow around as he conducts his interviews. “Surveilled” is lucky to have a charismatic central figure in Farrow and inherently compelling subject matter, but it leans on these factors rather than building an engrossing film to support them. As such, it can’t help but feel like an unnecessary addendum directed at viewers who don’t have a subscription to The New Yorker.
“Surveilled” is a dry exploration of dramatic real-world material. It’s full of details one would find in a fictional spy film, like encrypted phone calls and disguised interviewees. However, the film fails to make a worthy case for itself as anything other than an hour-long watchable version of an important magazine article.
