‘We all had computers, but Aaron really took to them – he really took to the internet,’ says Noah Swartz as he reflects on his childhood and his sibling, now an infamous name in the history of information technology and innovation. His words understate the extent of Aaron Swartz’s affinity for computing as a child prodigy turned inventive computer programmer turned hacker and activist. Noah’s recollections also mask the grim end to Aaron’s tale.
Aaron’s resume boasts a list of projects to envy; he was involved in the authoring of the RSS format of delivering web feeds, the launch of Creative Commons to advocate the bending of traditional copyright boundaries, and in the creation of social news aggregator Reddit, among many others. His meteoric rise to prominence proved a training ground for nobler but less known work, all focused on bringing public access to information to the public domain. Progressing from library catalogues to court documents to academic journal articles, his politically motivated efforts culminated in federal criminal charges and Swartz’s suicide.
An evident sense of information overload may sit at the centre of The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, writer/director Brian Knappenberger’s documentary chronicle of Aaron’s life and legacy; however it was information that drove the film’s titular subject: its access and availability, its development and democratisation, and its financial value and economic influence. The feature simply follows Aaron’s path from awkward but savvy child to martyred cyber genius, complete with all the information inherent in his evolution and eventual downfall at the hands of a government reacting to a rising tide of dissent against increasing internet regulation and data privatisation.
Knappenberger previously delved into online discord in We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, an offering that works as a primer for the broader issues at play in Swartz’s story. Here, the quest for human rights in the digital world is given a face and a fatal outcome, augmenting its impact. The movie’s status as tribute is indisputable, but its demonstration of the discussion surrounding online access – Aaron’s, and the entire community’s – is similarly beyond question. The former moves with emotion; the latter agitates with anger. The position of the film and filmmaker is never in doubt.
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz suffers a fate not uncommon in documentary filmmaking: relating a story that, in its real-life details, eclipses the attempt to distil it into film form. That’s among the more desirable problems to have when making a film, but the disparity between the idea and the execution of the content is constantly apparent. Voiceover narration, on-screen displays of websites, TV clips, archival interviews, old photos, home videos, and extensive conversations with Aaron’s family and friends as well as experts and officials comprise the feature’s very conventional, far from creative construction.
Of course, it is the message – not the presentation – that matters, which carries the film from its status as a serviceable assemblage to a potent portrait of information as power. At its best when conveyed in Aaron’s own words, and still engaging through his efforts even when he isn’t on screen, The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a touching testament to tenacity, a chilling look at online civil liberties, and a rousing reflection of one figure lost to the fight.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz
Director: Brian KnappenbergerUS, 2014, 105 mins
Human Rights Arts and Film Festival
www.hraff.org.au
Melbourne: 8 – 22 May
Sydney: 27 – 31 May
Perth: 3 – 5 June
Brisbane: 3 – 5 June
Darwin: 16 – 17 August
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