Review of Rosewater (2014) by Alasdair B — 14 Jun 2015

"Rosewater'' is the first film directed by Jon Stewart. The film stares Gael García Bernal, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Claire Foy. Based on a true story, the film is an adaptation of a memoir titled, Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival. In 2009, a British journalist named, Maziar Bahari (Bernal) traveled to his home town of Iran. During his time there, he documents and writes about the 2009 Iranian election. That is until, one morning, he is arrested and taken to Evin Prison. It is here where Maziar is interrogated.

There are a few noteworthy performances given, but Bernal definitely steals the show. He gives an incredible performance as a determined and intelligent journalist. Definitely the most powerful part of the film is when Bernal is in the prison being interrogated. He shows incredible strength and determination despite his circumstances. B finds himself in dire circumstances when his captors start to physically abuse him. Despite this, he finds the motivation to go on, thinking of his wife and soon-to-be born child, and Bernal conveys this very well.

As a film, this is a really solid movie. For a directorial debut, it's very impressive. Jon Stewart is known for his late night show where he commentates on news. I never thought he'd make a good director, but he really does a good job. The direction is overall solid. While the film is quite long, and at times a bit uneven, it works as a thoughtful and emotional film. The script is also pretty well written, and the political themes are powerful. Stewart does a fair job with the political side of things, as well as the character development.

"Rosewater'' may suffer from a long run time, and at times it does feel like the director is new to directing, but overall it's a really solid directorial debut for Jon Stewart. It's politically intriguing, well made, and emotionally resonant. The story of B is an inspirational one, full of pain and hope. The central performance from B is very good, and it's a solid biopic from beginning to end.