It's always easy for the masses to shy away from something that they don't understand. When the world seems too big or the pressures seem too daunting, the international public — and perhaps particularly British citizens — are all too eager to stick their heads into the sand. Pleasurably framed as a villainous force by the all-too-often right-wing media, Julian Assange has become an urban legend that many people don't know too much about. By recentering the narrative around something tangible any layman can understand, Ithaka documentary director Ben Lawrence makes a setting of political treason, criminal injustice, and the journalistic right to freedom accessible enough to enrage the everyday viewer.
As the world's most famous political prisoner, Julian Assange now faces a 175-year sentence as his extradition to the US has been confirmed. Using WikiLeaks to unearth mass government corruption and unpunished war crimes, Julian has been embroiled in a battle with the international legal system for more than 3000 days. As his father steps into the limelight to try and save his son, those closest to him must confront events that made Assange what he is today.
In the midst of climate catastrophe, failing governments, and frequent celebrity scandals, a massive infringement of freedom has been unfolding right under our noses. Much like the soul-feeding paparazzi that surrounds dazzled father John, the global public has been enraptured with Julian's story, taken with the waves of drama and misinformation that often comes with anything politically challenging. For those that have continually kept their finger on the Assange pulse, they'll know that the story is a complex one. Exposing evidence of US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010 led him to be a liberalised hero, while sexual assault charges later faced between 2012-2019 were cited as a smear campaign. As with many highly politicised cases in the public eye, it's difficult to navigate the truth. Yet Ithaka effortlessly navigates his truth — a tale of family, loss, and wrongdoing.
Sitting in a kitchen watching an older father grapple with the magnitude of his son's reality, viewers could be relating to the most inane of human experiences. By choosing to frame a convoluted narrative as a small-scale family battle, even the most far-reaching parts of Assange's story become relatable. In contrast to the legions of media and cameras John is faced with, Julian's fight for freedom truly looks like the David vs. Goliath fight he has always maintained as being true. As the war wages and the efforts take a toll on John's wellbeing, it's equally as refreshing to see him directly challenge the creative team themselves, insisting on tailoring Assange's story to a straight and narrow the family sees fit.
When it comes to making change, it takes a village. Through John's eyes, the inclusion and hard work of so many disparate individuals is clearly abundant in Ithaka, toiling against an imposing system that is set to see Julian face the ultimate consequences. The documentary's considered and humble approach to filmmaking gets to a reality rarely seen or considered in the media storm, affecting a lifetime of generations while holding the rights of us all at stake.
Ithaka is available to watch in the UK now.
