Review of Camp X-Ray (2014) by Harry W — 13 Jul 2015

Featuring a criticallly acclaimed performance from once-notoriously panned Twilight actress Kristen Stewart, Camp X-Ray sounded like a true game changer for the actress.

There is really not much of a story in Camp X-Ray. Despite a setting with high potential, the film is predominantly limited in how far it goes. The exploration of treatment of Guantanamo Bay detention camp detainees remains focused on the relationship between two characters, a young female military soldier assigned to be a guard at Camp Delta and a prisoner who slowly develops a connection to her. The relationship they share develops very slowly, but as it does the viewer may find themselves enticed by it enough to forget that the rest of the story does not have much to offer. I know that I did because I got caught up in the characters so much that I often forgot about everything else. I found myself powerfully enticed by the characters in Camp X-Ray, and even though the story was slow and simple without delving into the truly complex nature of Guantanamo Bay's treatment of detainees, the two characters it focused on were more than entertaining enough to draw my attention away from everything else. This is a rare occurrence for me, but I just found that the actors really embraced the setting naturally and let the tale develop on its own.

As a result of this, the story is mostly unpredictable. Many of the plot points or much of the subject matter may have a distinct feeling of familiarity to it, but the story itself rests on the shoulders of a low budget independent production which does not adhere to Hollywood conventions as a result even though it is a very professionally made film. I mean, the budget for Camp X-Ray was clearly all spent in the right places because it was successfully able to establish a setting, production design and collection of costumes which makes everything seem easily convincing while bringing in a talented cast as well. The story remains simple without trying to be anything more than it is, and though that may be a little too simple at times, it remains enticing and a pays a lot of credit to Peter Sattler as a man making his directional debut.

The fact is that the setting automatically sets the narrative up with interesting subject matter and potential characters, and from there it is all left in the hands of the cast to bring characters to the production. With such a talented lineup of actors, Camp X-Ray succeeds mostly on their backbones.

Kristen Stewart's performance in Camp X-Ray is the great contradiction to the curse put on her by the dreadful Twilight series. I knew she was a capable actress after I saw her her effort in Still Alice, and Camp X-Ray gives her the chance to flex her acting skills as the lead in a story with serious potential and an extremely low budget. Kristen Stewart is an actress known for her emotionally uninvolved performances, but in Camp X-Ray there is only a small extent of this and it works. She channels this aspect of her acting into an ideal character, an American soldier who must be emotionally isolated as a means of staying tough through all the harsh situations she gets thrown at her. Kristen Stewart proves very impressive at doing so because she is slightly monotonous but not to the extent that it is shallow at all, but rather to the extent that she is able to show emotional involvement hidden beneath a tough exterior. As the story goes on, she slowly breaks down the exterior and shows more emotion while still remaining restrained, and it proves absolutely perfect for the character. Kristen Stewart's role in Camp X-Ray is perfect for her because it capitalises on all her talents to the point that it proves to be her greatest and most sophisticated effort to date. Kristen Stewart's performance in Camp X-Ray is a real game changer, and it gives me an all new level of respect for her.

Peyman Moaadi's performance is also a thoroughly intense one. As the central detainee of the film, viewers are expected to be intimidated by his portrayal of Ali Amir. And on some level, they should be. But slowly, Peyman Moaadi shows more of the internal spirit in the character as the tale progresses and his chemistry with Kristen Stewart develops very nicely. He seems almost like an archetype at first, but he makes a genuine sentimental effort in the part which is hard to turn a blind eye to. Peyman Moaadi changes from intimidating audiences to touching them, and the more that he speaks the greater insight we get. Peyman Moaado gets very deep into his role and plays it so convincingly with powerful physicality to embrace the universe around him which ensures that he is consistently intense and conveys a restrained sense of frailty in the role. His most memorable moments come from the climax of the film where his dramatic power is heavily subtle yet implied and his chemistry with Kristen Stewart hits a peak, proving the utter strength of the two actors working together. Peyman Moaadi delivers a very emotionally powerful effort in Camp X-Ray, and his work is difficult to forget.

John Carroll Lynch is another strong cast member, predominantly because he is so firm and direct with the dialogue yet not shallow about it. There is one short scene where John Carroll Lynch delivers a brief monologue about his frustrations at being stuck in a meandering job in Camp Delta, and what he summarises at that moment is a genuine frustration that countless Americans face for being condemned to meandering roles in suppressing a supposed war. A lot of John Carroll Lynch's characterisation comes from the subtext of his line delivery, and whenever he is present on screen he makes a strong effort.

So Camp X-Ray is a very simple film, for better and for worse. For worse because it may be rather limited in exploration for a film with such strong subject matter, but for better because its dedicated focus on character drama brings out the best in Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi while Peter Sattler's dedication to detail makes the drama seem all the more realistic.