Title: Rosewater
Director: Jon Stewart
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Kim Bodnia, Jason Jones, Dimitri Leonidas, Haluk Bilginer, Arian Moayed, Amir El-Masry.
The feature film ‘Rosewater’ is based on The New York Times best-selling memoir ‘Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival,’ written by the BBC journalist Maziar Bahari. This true story, marks the screenwriting and directorial debut of Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ host, Jon Stewart.
Rosewater follows the Tehran-born Bahari, a 42-year-old broadcast journalist with Canadian citizenship living in London. In June 2009, Bahari returned to Iran to interview Mir-Hossein Moussavi, who was the prime challenger to controversial incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As Moussavi’s supporters rose up to protest Ahmadinejad’s victory declaration hours before the polls closed on election day, Bahari endured great personal risk by submitting camera footage of the unfolding street riots to the BBC. Bahari was soon arrested by Revolutionary Guard police, led by a man identifying himself only as “Rosewater,” who proceeded to torture and interrogate the journalist over the next 118 days.
In October 2009, Bahari’s wife led an international campaign from London to have her husband freed, while Western media outlets kept the story alive; even Hilary Clinton intervened in public speeches, criticising the Iranian authorities, who released Bahari on $300,000 bail and the promise he would act as a spy for the government.
Jon Stewart had very much at heart Bahari’s story – so brilliantly interpreted by Gael García Bernal, who became worldwide know for his performance in ‘Y Tu Mamá Tambien’ – since he covered his story nightly on his talk show and had him appear on air, once the journalist was released from prison.
Stewart definitely proved to have what it takes to be an enthralling storyteller: the solid, powerfully acted political drama depicts the story of an individual embodying a greater message, that of human endurance in the face of ideological oppression. The imaginary dialogues Bahari has with his long lost father and sister work with delicacy without having the slightest touch of cheesiness.
Perseverance becomes crucial to get out of hardship, never quitting hope and using humour, as the most precious tool to avoid lunacy and discouragement.
The biopic’s actors are truly remarkable, and never over the top, as they represent one of the most sardonic movies about 9/11’s aftermath.
On top of it all, the biopic’s actors are truly remarkable, as they represent one of the most sardonic movies about 9/11’s aftermath.
Technical: B+
Acting: A
Story: A
Overall: A-
Written by: Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
