A new documentary chronicling the life and persecution of Julian Assange provides one of the most significant explorations of the journalist's life and work. Digital editor Dan Jensen shares his thoughts on the film.
THE PERSECUTION of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is one of the greatest crimes against freedom of speech and a significant blow to the pursuit of truth. But if you're one of the few who don't know much about the Assange story, The Trust Fall is rather essential viewing.
This documentary, directed by Kym Staton, examines the life of Julian Assange from his early days at the University of Melbourne through to the dawn of WikiLeaks and his eventual incarceration. It's a thorough story and lets you know why it's such an important one to tell. But rather than simply presenting you with facts as a timeline, the film goes deeper by showing interviews with those who knew him — from a fellow student with fascinating anecdotes about times he spent with Assange to a lecturer who breaks down his personality and what made him such a fierce advocate for justice.
The story goes on to show how WikiLeaks was founded and, more importantly, why. Interviews with significant campaigners for the truth, including John Pilger, David McBride and Daniel Ellsberg are both highly interesting and informative. The film does a terrific job of explaining why transparency and truth in journalism are vital to the progress of our world. And the calibre of its interview subjects is admirable.
As any good documentary should, The Trust Fall presents us with some confronting stuff that is designed to move. Collateral Murder is the name given to the disturbing video footage of American soldiers opening fire on Iraqi journalists in 2007, claiming the camera equipment they were carrying were weapons and that they were under threat of fire. The documentary shows excerpts from the video and it's profoundly hard to watch. But since this represented a turning point in the life of Assange, it's important to know why the U.S. Government came after him.
Rather than just showing us the event that led to the deaths of the journalists, with the helicopter crew laughing at their own cruel deed, the film also shows interviews with family members of the fallen and it's a deeply emotional experience. It's a reminder that no matter what nationality, race or religion we belong to, we are all human beings and deserve the same rights.
It's here that The Trust Fall begins the downward spiral of Assange's life as he is incarcerated and slandered in the media. Initially, an accusation of rape put him behind bars, but no charges were ever made. The film explains how the accusation was a conspiracy to tarnish Assange's name and was the first step in branding him as a villain. Interviews with Assange's family members and wife, Stella, open our eyes to just how horrible the conditions were in which he was placed. Former UN rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer and other experts describe the agonising conditions in which Assange endured, excelling at making the viewer enraged at the system that led to his imprisonment.
As a documentary should provide a balanced narrative, with both sides of the story present, The Trust Fall does give indications as to why the U.S. Government felt it necessary to silence Assange. For what it lacks in actual interviews with those who sought to pursue action against Assange, it provides sufficient footage of those who felt threatened by the truth. But it's impossible to deny that the testimonies and interviews with Assange's supporters provide enough reason why the man's work was so vital and a significant step in the pursuit of press freedom.
The Trust Fall is a rich and rewarding experience. If you think you know everything about Julian Assange, it may still open your eyes to a deeper side of the man's life. Not only does it go deeper into things we're familiar with, but also touches on many of the more personal facets of his life. An interview with Stella describes how frustrating it was to wed Assange in such a non-traditional way and the sadness in her eyes at not being able to access proper wedding photos is heartbreaking.
While it's an important film, there are a couple of minor issues to its detriment. The nearly 130-minute run time does feel a little long. While the documentary does provide so much essential information, a slimmer version would possibly flow better. Also, the ending does feel a little overly dramatic. There's no question that Julian Assange is a hero and one of the most important names in the world of modern journalism, but the final ten minutes, with its rousing score and poetic narrations, feel a bit too grandiose and not keeping in theme with the preceding story.
Minor gripes aside, The Trust Fall is a must-see documentary that perfectly encapsulates not only the criminal treatment of Julian Assange, but why his work needs to continue to expose injustice around the world and hold those responsible to account.
The Trust Fall: Julian Assange is now showing in select screenings around Australia. Visit thetrustfall.org to find out where it's showing near you.
You can follow digital editor Dan Jensen on Twitter @DanJensenIA. Follow Independent Australia on Twitter @independentaus and on Facebook HERE.
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