Dir. Eugene Jarecki, US, 2025, 129 mins,
Cast: Julian Assange
Review by Matthew Morlai Kamara
For too long, Assange was little more than a name that flickered across news cycles, a figure of casual curiosity at best. But Jarecki transforms that detachment into a gut-wrenching, heart-racing odyssey that leaves you questioning why you didn’t lean in sooner. Here, finally, is the flesh laid upon the bones of a story we’ve all watched from afar.
It is a masterclass in documentary craft: never-seen embassy footage, explosive archival material, and intimate interviews converge into a story that feels less like history being recounted and more like it’s unfolding in real time before your eyes. I recall seeing on the news the haunting image of Assange staring out a tiny window in the heart of London. After watching this documentary my eyes are open wider. It has given me a reminder that his not merely a political chess piece, but a human being trapped in a game he cannot walk away from.
Jarecki resists the temptation to canonize his subject. Assange is portrayed as stubborn, obsessive, and even paranoid but with good reason. The film reveals he was spied on via surveillance cameras that evoked the very “big brother” he sought to expose.
We know the ending from the headlines – his eventual release from prison. The documentary’s true resonance however lies in its call to action: a reminder to journalists of the courage required to speak their truth, and a declaration that his fight is ours too.
This film is a devastating reminder that the truth has always demanded a price. From Nelson Mandela to countless others individuals locked away for their beliefs. History is littered with those who paid that price. Let us not permit it to repeat itself.
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