How our political opinions can be swayed by movies like 'Snowden'

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone's new movie 'Snowden.'

When movies about historical events come out, they can help shape public opinion. How? We speak to a professor who studied the issue.

Tomorrow, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence will discuss a classified report on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked thousands of government documents to the media, citing concerns about surveillance and privacy.

The debate around whether Snowden is a hero or traitor has raged on since he released all of those documents back in 2013. Now, a new film is bringing that conversation to the big screen. It's called 'Snowden' and it was directed by Oliver Stone.

But can a film like this have an impact on public opinion? If history's any indication the answer's yes.

Michelle Pautz is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Dayton and she studied the impact that the movies 'Argo' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' had on public opinion. In a conversation with Take Two's Alex Cohen, she explained what that impact is.