These urgent documentaries play out like the best fiction thrillers.
The New Radical begins as an exploration of ethical considerations around the free distribution of instructions for a 3D-printable gun on the internet, with an introduction to the man behind the movement, American-born Cody Wilson. Soon, this intertwining story of two members of a new generation of cyber anarchists—Wilson and British-born Bitcoin expert Amir Taaki—becomes a gripping thriller. The documentary contains the real-life versions of everything you’d expect from a sci-fi narrative: punk squatters, drugs being sold on the dark web, crypto-currency, et. al. There’s a sub-world that we suspect might exist, and this film reveals that it actually does. The protagonists are young and relatable, and, like many idealists, their philosophies become darker and more militant as time goes on. As their tales unfold in the documentary, some chilling questions are raised about who really controls the future. Ultimately, are we better off in the hands of radical cyberhackers or corporate-controlled governments? —Liz Nord
