It has no movie scenes or dialogue, but the trailer for “Snowden” is aiming to speak volumes.
The film, directed by Oliver Stone, is the first dramatization of the life of the National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower Edward J. Snowden. The screenplay, by Mr. Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald, is adapted from two books: “The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man” and “Time of the Octopus.”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Mr. Snowden, but is unseen in this teaser, which primarily relies on dramatic music, text and a powerful symbol.
While a subdued version of the gospel song “This Little Light of Mine” plays, the trailer offers a short list of Mr. Snowden’s career highlights (joined the Army at 20, the C.I.A. at 22). This abbreviated résumé concludes with the stark statement that by age 29, he was “the most wanted man in the world,” and the camera pulls out to reveal an upside-down American flag, a display that has traditionally been used to signal distress but has been taken at times as a sign of disrespect.
Later, superimposed on the flag are the words “One nation under surveillance with liberty and justice for all.”
The message is not subtle, but subtlety is generally not to be expected from the work of Mr. Stone. The film is slated for a Dec. 25 release.