Surveilled

An incredibly important topic, but sadly this doc is ruined by the fact Farrow seems to be the president of his own fanclub and apparently had to make sure he's in every second frame. We get it, you're a big time hot shot. However, this movie would have greatly benefitted from him taking a step back - literally - and let the troubling facts speak for themselves. A good documenary filmmaker is invisible. At least if your name is not Louis Theroux. Somebody should pass that info along to Farrow. Massively wasted opportunity and a rare miss from the otherwise very strong HBO documentary departement.

On the positive side, this documentary informs the public and it's a good thing imo that it is being done trough this more mainstream channel and spokesperson. So I give it high marks for effort and exposure.

However, as other reviewers point out. There are noteworthy omissions. First of all, the spyware is being developed in Israel. It is strange, in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza and the situation in the occupied West Bank, that there is no mention of Palestine at all. By now, we are informed, most notably through the excellent book The Palestine Laboratory by Antony Loewenstein, of how this type of software is being tested in the apartheid regime, on the Palestinian population. But I guess this can be excused because the documentary would probably get shunned by many outlets if this disgraceful chapter would be included. Also it would have been interesting to know more about which countries are using it.

Conclusion: the doc leaves me hungry for more in depth and elaborate information. But stimulating this appetite is a good thing, hence my 7 stars.

H, HBO, how the mighty have fallen. Once a beacon of insightful and nuanced documentaries, you've now apparently decided to trade substance for sensationalism with 'Surveilled.' This supposed 'documentary' feels less like investigative journalism and more like a poorly scripted scare tactic designed to whip the public into a frenzy of paranoia.

The premise, a shallow dive into the supposed omnipresence of surveillance, is delivered with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Instead of presenting balanced arguments and exploring the complexities of the issue, we're subjected to a relentless barrage of ominous music, distorted visuals, and breathless pronouncements of impending doom. It's less a documentary and more a horror movie, minus the jump scares (though, the sheer level of manipulative editing certainly tries).

And let's talk about the 'experts' featured in this production. A parade of individuals, each seemingly chosen for their ability to deliver pronouncements with maximum gravitas, their voices often artificially deepened or otherwise altered to sound 'authoritative'. The vocal fry epidemic is also in full effect, with every other interviewee sounding like they're struggling to keep their voice from descending into a gravel pit. It's less informative and more like a bizarre vocal exercise.

The once-respected HBO Documentary Films brand has been tarnished by this exercise in fearmongering. Where are the in-depth explorations? The nuanced perspectives? The balanced analysis? Instead, we're left with a shallow, manipulative piece of 'journalism' that prioritizes shock value over substance. It's a sad day when HBO, a network that once championed thoughtful documentaries, descends into the realm of cheap, sensationalist drivel. If 'Surveilled' is any indication, HBO's documentary division has lost its way, trading its legacy for a quick and dirty attempt to scare the public. Avoid at all costs."

Unfortunately, this documentary is nowhere near as hard hitting as it makes out to be. The scope of the investigation is rather narrow. Especially given the accusations about countries in the Middle East and Africa abusing modern surveillance technology, none of this is actually substantiated. Instead the investigation focuses on one ology provider (who opened their doors willingly in a PR trust exercise), the US, and Spain. To make things worse, the style of the documentation is heavily focused on the author and narrator, Ronan Farrow, and therefore turns into a personality show about him, rather than the real subject matter. This leaves the viewer with a sense of a missed opportunity.

While much of the content of this film has already been in the public information stream for some time (see Nicole Perlroth's "This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race" from 2021), it couldn't be a more timely warning in the wake of the 2024 presidential election.

I give the movie 10 stars as a wake up call to all who care about privacy, transparency, democracy and our drift towards the Surveillance State. We can and we must talk about this ceaselessly.

I give it only 5 stars for not addressing the surveillance abuses in China and Russia.

While it mentions the ban on federal use of such "commercial" programs, the film doesn't address the abuses local law enforcement have and could wield in the name of public safety.

Finally, it's concerning that the movie's narrow focus on a singular program by a single company could lessen the impact of the message of this movie. Hopefully viewers will grasp that Pegasus is the "canary in the coal mine," so to speak. The US government may currently prohibit the purchase of commercial spy programs. But government-developed programs are still viable. And once those get into the wild, as they surely will, it will be impossible to close Pandora's Box.