Thriller,Drama
Belgium,India,United States of America
The film, released in 2013 and directed by Bill Condon, is based on the book "Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website" by Daniel Domscheit-Berg. It explores the beginning of WikiLeaks and its rise to fame as an information-sharing platform for classified documents, from their groundbreaking release of the Collateral Murder video in 2010 to the publication of over 250,000 diplomatic cables in 2011.
The relationship between Julian Assange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) and Daniel Domscheit-Berg (played by Daniel Brühl) is at the heart of the film. As the two men work together on WikiLeaks, tensions begin to rise between them. Domscheit-Berg becomes increasingly concerned with the risks involved in publishing sensitive material without properly redacting names and other identifying information, while Assange is more focused on the message and impact of their work.
The rift between the two friends deepens when Assange rejects Domscheit-Berg's proposal to rename WikiLeaks to better reflect its evolving focus on transparency and accountability. This rejection leads to Domscheit-Berg's decision to leave WikiLeaks and start his own organization, OpenLeaks.
The film also explores the impact of WikiLeaks' publications on global politics, from the Arab Spring to the U.S. diplomatic cables leak and the subsequent political fallout. It raises ethical questions about the role of journalism and the responsibility of whistleblowers in the digital age.
Overall, "The Fifth Estate" offers a dramatic portrayal of the early days of WikiLeaks and the personal conflicts that fueled its rise and eventual downfall.
