Twenty-five years into the 20th century and the world has probably never been more bombarded with controversies and conspiracies. Ideas that come with multiple sides, not just two opposing ones. The price of truth is a debatable topic. It might result in rewards, but it might also result in much worse. Yet, there are some that will do whatever it takes to get the truth out there. Even if it means their life is on the line.
2006, a young man named Julian Assange decided to found WikiLeaks. A website dedicated to sharing the worlds’ truths. Truths that not all news outlets were permitted to share. Film viewers now might not know the story of Assange and WikiLeaks. However, no matter what, one cannot deny that The Six Billion Dollar Man provides vital information in a compelling manner. Documentaries do not always make it easy for their audiences to receive the full truth. Yet in The Six Billion Dollar Man, both positive and negative sides of his truth were shared. While you watch and learn, it feels as though nothing has been hidden.
Perhaps what could be considered smooth sailing now, the start of WikiLeaks was simple. It was not until years later that Assange became faced with a lengthy sentence for the publication of classified documents. Until that point his goal had been to share the truth with the world, no matter the price. Yet, even if this man had been wanting to do good, in truth, he also did some bad.
While the news and online media can and did share Assange’s story with the world, the creation of The Six Billion Dollar Man is a new insight into these events. Director Eugene Jarecki knew what he was doing when crafting the focal points of his film. Documentaries do not always show both sides of the story, but the way in which this one is different is it feels as though you are gaining a contrasting perspective than articles could have given.
After years of building a team and creating a following, WikiLeaks did something drastic. Assange then faced extradition to the U.S. along with charges from other countries as well. In the States, he faced a lengthy sentence for choosing to publish classified documents. All of which came to be when the Trump administration began. Things might have seemed simpler for Assange and his team before this time, but that was in fact not the case. Throughout the entirety of running WikiLeaks, Assange and company could have faced multiple charges. It appears, through the telling of the documentary, that their safety depended all on those in charge of government.
Unexpected, to say the least. Having never heard of WikiLeaks before this film, everything you learn while watching is something new. It is intense and knowledgeable. The filmmakers take you along the journey with them as they uncover the truth, or as close as they can get to it. There is no way to be able to share the entire truth, there never is. That is the entire point of the film, in the background. No matter the lengths one may go to share with the world, what remains hidden may never be known.
While yes, The Six Billion Dollar Man is the documentary of one man, it does much more than simply focus on Assange. While sharing the documents and information WikiLeaks has breached over the years, they take the audience on the path with Assange until the breaking point. Keeping you on your toes until the very end.
The Six Billion Dollar Man definitely needed to be shared in today’s current climate. Whether or not one previously knew Assange and his tale, it remains a brilliant piece of media everyone should look out for.
