Plot Summary
With homeland security and the war on terror becoming increasingly important issues, the U.S. government has grown more and more secretive, allegedly to protect the country and save lives. But is this culture of secrets at odds with democracy? This documentary examines both the pros and cons of government concealment by focusing on classified secrets and the arguments the government makes in the name of national security.
Movie Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
TOMATOMETER
94%- Reviews Counted: 17
- Fresh: 16
- Rotten: 1
- Average Rating: 7.3/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: If the movie follows no single thread of inquiry, nor sustains any argument or research in depth, it nevertheless explores some chilling corridors of the clandestine.
Fresh: Layered with all types of visual decoration to make the torrent of discussion play cinematically, and, though the device is now a familiar one, certain touches such as B&W animation lend a creepy and effective mood.
Fresh: Smart and unexpected, SecrecyM combines thoughtful interviews with an elegant visual look to produce an incisive examination of some of the key issues of our time.
Fresh: In addition to historical footage, the film employs a series of pulsating animated drawings, with the white ink against the black background injecting an appropriately unsettling, even sinister tone.
Customer Reviews
Important
This has to be one of the most important documentary films of all time that Americans need to watch.
Thoughtful and Insightful
Having worked with classified material, I can attest to the enormous infrastructure involved in keeping secrets secret. The people in the film all bring up very interesting points regarding freedoms in the face of threat. It is chilling to hear some of them speak about the needs to give up some freedom to secure our safety, and I side with others in the film who point out that such an act does not achieve the desired result. If there every was a slippery slope, it is our willingness to declare stuff secret coupled with our reluctance to loosen the classifications - once classified, no one wants to take the responsibility to reevaluate the criteria used, and so we just keep throwing more and more stuff into locked rooms. And as one commentator pointed out, such compartmentalization is what hindered us in the past. Also, a major segment of our society in the U.S. would rather be passive and trust the judgement of our elected officials, more so those in the military, instead of actively question those in power to make sure that the actions they are taking as our representatives really are in our best interest. The carnival show of Democrats vs. Republicans or conservatives vs. liberals is a simple but effective distraction from the more serious issues facing our nation and its people. It is a distraction that is welcomed by those in the, yes, military industrial complex.
A very important issue that may decide the fate of the U.S.
Secrecy - how much is necessary? How much is corrosive to the fabric of a nation? How is it to be applied - and how can it be applied justly?
This is a film that examines the concept and real-world application of secrecy from all relevant points of view. While we now exist in a post-9/11 world, we once existed in a Cold War world no less threatening - the point being that as many mistakes were made then as are being made now - not just by those who wish to create and keep secrets, but by those who want to reveal them.
Who watches the watchers? Who decides what is or is not a secret? Which of the three branches of American government should hold sway?
Watch Secrecy - but more importantly - listen, learn, and decide for yourself - because in the end we get the government we deserve.
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