Review of The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014) by Kathryn M — 27 Aug 2014
Well worth watching. Substantive without being tedious, this movie tells a very moving story of an idealistic young prodigy whose life became tragically entangled with some of the more pernicious social forces of his time. In the process, it both humanizes someone who could too easily have been memorialized as a cliched martyr, while also drawing attention to serious political issues.
Like many documentaries, it could probably have benefitted from slightly tighter editing and can veer into preachiness at times; given the story it tells, though, that seems somewhat justified.
Although it will be of particular interest to those interested in the internet and civil liberties, it may even be more important for those not already engaged with those topics to help them understand why they should be. With loud echoes of The Apology, this film is a compelling, classically tragic true story of how a society falls prey to a toxic blend of ignorance and paranoia and in the process destroys its most gifted members.
This review of The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014) was written by Kathryn M on 27 Aug 2014.
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz has generally received very positive reviews.
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