The Internet's Own Boy (2014) Review

The Internet's Own Boy is a wonderful documentary. It is smart, it is insightful and at its heart it is very, very angry. Which makes it all the more important to be seen by as many people as possible.

The film tells us about the life of Aaron Swartz, a computer science and programming prodigy. Through family and archive footage we see him at a young age engage with adults in developing RSS, then going on to become one of the heads behind Internet phenomenon Reddit. This, however, isn't the story of an exceptional person rising to fame. It is the story of an intellectual awakening. Aaron's goal in life is not to make a billion dollars, this is not The Social Network as a documentary. With him gaining insights into how the Internet is organized and guarded by private companies and a select few, his political ambitions are being born, something that ultimately earns him the respect of many, many people around the world from all kinds of backgrounds. But it also becomes the source of his tragic demise.

What is so interesting about The Internet's Own Boy isn't simply the subject of Aaron Swartz but how writer and director Brian Knappenberger manages to shift the focus of the documentary from a simple retelling of events to a very powerful political statement. At the example of Aaron we get to see how incredibly unjust and outdated the US-American legislative can be, something that Knappenberger explains through floating head interviews with law professors, reporters and editors. The end of Aaron Swartz becomes a strong reminder that some people are being taken away at way too young an age but it also shows that the spirit of an inspiring person can live on in the actions of others.

I personally hadn't heard about this film at all until I randomly stumbled upon it. I urge you go out of your way to seek it out. The Internet's Own Boy exemplifies the best use of the medium of the documentary film and should be required viewing for anyone who's even remotely interested in what's going on in our society.