The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
87%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 4 nominations
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a poignant and thought-provoking documentary that delves into the life and untimely death of a digital-age revolutionary. Through interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, director Brian Knappenberger paints a vivid portrait of a brilliant and complex young man who was driven by a desire to make the world a better place. The film is both a celebration of Swartz’s life and a scathing indictment of the government’s overzealous prosecution of him. With its mix of heart-wrenching personal stories and incisive political commentary, The Internet’s Own Boy is a must-see for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, activism, and justice.
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a documentary that will make you feel all the feels. From sadness to outrage, this film tells the story of a brilliant young man who fought for what he believed in and paid the ultimate price. It’s a chilling reminder of the power of the government and the importance of standing up for what’s right. But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom – there are plenty of eggheads and printout sheets to keep things interesting. Overall, a must-watch for anyone who cares about the future of the internet and the people who fight to keep it free.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Mace Neufeld Productions, Nina Saxon Film Design
Distributor
FilmBuff, Participant Media
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 27, 2015
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Aaron Swartz, programming prodigy, information activist, Brian Knappenberger, directed by Brian Knappenberger, written by Brian Knappenberger, Cindy Cohn, Gabriella Coleman, Cory Doctorow, Peter Eckersley, Brewster Kahle, Lawrence Lessig, reviewed by Joe McGovern, Mark Kermode, Leslie Felperin, D’Arcy Doran, Moira MacDonald, David Lewis, Brent McKnight, Frank Ochieng, Benjamin Gummery, Louis Proyect, Dennis Schwartz, Paul Chambers, genre, box office performance, budget, FilmBuff, Participant Media, MPAA rating, informative, enraging, impassioned call to action, Sound City, The Panama Papers, Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman, Memory: The Origins of Alien, Assassins, actor names, producer names, writer names
Worldwide gross: $48,911
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $61,126
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,072
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,666
US/Canada gross: $48,911
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $61,126
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,732
US/Canada opening weekend: $21,705
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $27,126
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,401
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Gabriella Coleman – Self
Cory Doctorow – Self
Peter Eckersley – Self
Brewster Kahle – Self
Lawrence Lessig – Self
Director(s)
Brian Knappenberger
Writer(s)
Brian Knappenberger
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Sundance, South by Southwest
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (60) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (56) | Rotten (4)
Talking (egg)heads reiterate outrage over the Obama Justice Department’s witch hunt against him, but Swartz’s ex-girlfriend adds heart when she tearfully recalls first seeing the ”end date” on his Wikipedia page.
December 3, 2014 | Rating: B
Joe McGovern
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Knappenberger argues that the case against Swartz was overzealously pursued in order to make an example of him and on the evidence presented here it’s hard to disagree.
August 31, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The film builds up a portrait of a brilliant, driven, complex young man who’s likely to be an iconic figure in the future, a sort of digital-age Che Guevara.
August 28, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Leslie Felperin
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The sad untimely death of precocious internet maven Aaron Schwartz is the focus of this chilling doc.
August 28, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
D’Arcy Doran
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Fascinating, maddening, and ultimately very sad.
July 10, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
The film not only canonizes its hero – who committed suicide amid a nasty federal indictment against him – but also brushes aside any big-picture concerns about national security and Internet piracy.
July 9, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
David Lewis
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Both moves and outrages, enticing the audience to action. It may not be the most exciting, sexy documentary out there, but it makes viewers feel its subject deeply.
July 7, 2020 | Rating: B+
Brent McKnight
The Last Thing I See
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz simmers with sadness, cynicism and starkness yet never once turns its back on the celebrated digital-aged declaration in a chosen soul out to right the wrong and mince politics with printout sheets.
March 1, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Frank Ochieng
Popoptiq
An insightful look into one individual’s struggle with government information policy that has much wider implications.
October 14, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Benjamin Gummery
Battle Royale With Cheese
A brilliant and idealistic soul sacrificed at the altar of Barack Obama’s war on intellectual and political transparency.
January 22, 2015
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Passionately tells a tragic tale of injustice.
November 26, 2014 | Rating: B+
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
November 12, 2014 | Rating: B
Paul Chambers
Movie Chambers…
Plot
The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz. From Swartz’s help in the development of the basic internet protocol RSS to his co-founding of Reddit, his fingerprints are all over the internet. But it was Swartz’s groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing combined with his aggressive approach to information access that ensnared him in a two year legal nightmare. It was a battle that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26. Aaron’s story touched a nerve with people far beyond the online communities in which he was a celebrity. This film is a personal story about what we lose when we are tone deaf about technology and its relationship to our civil liberties.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with Aaron Swartz’s ex-girlfriend, Cindy Cohn, Gabriella Coleman, Cory Doctorow, Peter Eckersley, Brewster Kahle, and Lawrence Lessig.
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