Following the release ofChristopher Nolan’s smash hitOppenheimer, another smaller film looks to explore another controversial figure aboard the Manhattan Project.A Compassionate Spyfrom Academy Award-nominatedHoop DreamsdirectorSteve Jamesis a documentary aboutTheodore Hall, a young physicist who fears a future of nuclear annihilation and begins passing information to the Soviets to help tip the scales and prevent a U.S. atomic bomb monopoly. Despite being morally-conflicted colleagues, Hall andJ. Robert Oppenheimerare vastly different people in James’s eyes.Speaking to Collider’sChase Hutchinson, the director compares his subject to NSA whistleblower and U.S. defectorEdward Snowden.
In terms of the difference between Oppenheimer and Hall, James went as far as to callthe father of the atomic bombmore naive than the undergrad working under him when it came to understanding the implications of their work. “It’s kind of amazing watchingOppenheimer, which, you know, he was such a tortured soul, right?” James said. “In some ways, he was more naive, considerably more naive than Ted, about what they were doing, and Ted was 19. Think about that.”
The Snowden comparison feels far more natural. Snowden became infamous in the U.S. for exposing highly classified information from the National Security Agency after trying and failing to raise ethical concerns internally. Like Hall before him, his actions put him in a moral gray area. While many condemned Snowden for his actions and he’s since been labeled a traitor to the U.S., he’s also received plenty of praise for providing the public with information that brings into question the country’s use of mass surveillance in violation of individual privacy. LikeOppenheimer, healso received a starry feature based on his storywithJoseph Gordon-Levittplaying the defectorandShailene Woodleyplaying his wifeLindsay Ellis. James believes these people willing to stand up to authority regardless of consequences for what they believe is a greater good can affect worthwhile change in society, saying:
" Absolutely. In many ways, one of the contemporary equivalents of Ted Hall is someone like Edward Snowden, for example. Edward Snowden was a true believer when he went to work for the NSA. He went to work for the NSA because he wasn’t fit enough to become a marine – think about that. But he wanted to help his country, so he went to work for the NSA. That’s where his skill set could be used. And he walked in the door a true believer in what they were doing, and it was only because after he was there and began to question what they were doing that he was prompted to do what he did. There are a lot of people that look at Edward Snowden as a traitor and look at him as someone who did an awful thing, and then there are a lot of people that look at what Edward Snowden did as incredibly brave and valuable and necessary."
The World Needs More Brave Renegades Like Hall and Snowden Says James
James not only believes that Hall thinks similarly to Snowden, but that people that possess their bravery are needed at a time when the world is facing an uncertain future betweenongoing climate change, therise of AI, and, of course, theever-present threat of nuclear war:
“I think that Ted is one of those kind of guys. And I think at the end of the film, one of the reasons I put that very last comment at the end of the film, it’s where he’s saying his advice to the next generation is to basically not let people in power determine what happens in this world, to stand up to the people in power. I mean, are we not living in that time now, where that needs to happen more? Whether it’s climate change or the latest fear at the end of the world, AI, it’s the people who are willing to step forward and say, ‘This needs to be different. We don’t have to go down that path. There’s something we can do here.’ Those are the people we need more of, and I think Ted was one of those kind of people.”
In addition to telling the story of Hall’s controversial actions,A Compassionate Spyis also a love story about his lasting marriage to his wifeJoan Hall, who is also a key subject of the documentary. The film made its debut to solid reviews at the Venice International Film Festival last year. Since then, James has released his latest documentaryThe Luckiest Guy in the Worldabout Basketball legendBill Waltonas part of ESPN’s ongoing30 for 30series.
A Compassionate Spyis in theaters now. Check out the trailer below.
