TIFF 2020: Enemies of the State Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Who said documentaries can’t be as twisty and turny as straight up thrillers? Enemies of the State is one of those documentaries that promises to be that kind of a roller coaster journey over the course of its 100+ minute running time. In the age of information and the internet, some think that they know a story but that in fact may not always be the case. This film challenges viewers’ preconceptions in a compelling and often sobering way that will surely leave some questioning what they think they know or to even be more critical of the information they process on a daily basis.

Enemies of the State does so through the lens of the story of Matthew DeHart, a 25 year-old man and former member of the National Guard from Indiana whose home, who he shared with his parents whom also had ties to the military, was raided by the FBI based on a search warrant for child pornography. The family adamantly denied those charges, instead suggesting that the raid was a result of Matthew’s ties to the hacker group known as Anonymous and his alleged ties to Wikileaks. From there, the story played out like your standard twisty spy thriller but little did we know that things would only get stranger from there.

During Matthew and his family’s time evading authorities, he was detained, spending 21 months in prison where he claimed he was tortured before later being released on bond. But why was the government going to such lengths against him as it had to have been for good reason. The theme of the film became what was the truth as his case grew in notoriety, putting his name alongside the likes of Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. Enemies of the State featured interviews with the players on both sides, including the DeHarts, attorneys, and members of law enforcement assigned to the case, and various audio recordings and transcripts to lay out all the facts in this crazy and truly unbelievable story.

Enemies of the State is sure to leave viewers on both sides of the fence until it pulls the proverbial rug underneath in an intense and jaw-dropping way that will stay long after the credits roll. While the film is not an easy watch, it is still one that should be seen.

still courtesy of TIFF

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.