Rosewater

Here's Hoping that Satirist and now Film Writer/Director Jon Stewart has Compensated for the Guilt He must have Felt after a Segment on "The Daily Show" Indirectly or perhaps Directly led to the Arrest of Journalist Maziar Bahari in Iran on the Charges of being a Spy (that was play-acted in the TV Show segment).

Stewart Shows some Flair for Cinema in the First Half with some Effective, if Artsy Arrangements of Images Superimposed on Landscapes that is a Surreal Opening to an all too Real Second Half.

Also, it is the First Half of the Movie that Grips with its Diving into the Counter Culture of Iran's Youth Movement, its Braggadocio and Behavior that almost Begs for Attention from the Police State.

After the Controversial Election and its Aftermath of Riots that Journalist Bahari is Covering and His immediate Arrest and Imprisonment, the Film Takes a much more Sombre Tone and the Filmmaking Flourishes and maybe even its Purpose is Succumbed by the Interrogation and Captivity Scenes.

Although Stewart shows some Ability to alleviate some Boredom with Flashbacks and Dream Sequences, by the Third Act the Movie does Feel like it has Run its Course of Insight and Criticism of the Iranian Political System.

Overall, it is a Story Worth Watching and Remembering, still very Topical, and it's a Solid, if Wanting, Effort from Jon Stewart.

Political enough, Artistic enough, and Profound enough to be Recommended and Despite its Low Budget Limitation is Better than the Best Picture Winner of a Few Years Back that also was Set In Iran, Albeit in the 1970's.

I am trying hard to rack my brain to see if I remember the events of the film, Rosewater, surrounding Maziar Bahari, and everything than went on and happened to him during that period. All this happened just a few years ago (2009 to be exact) and I do seem to remember the Iranian election and the uproar and protests that went on afterwards, but unfortunately Bahari's story still remains a blank in my memory. This is not because the story is not important, but rather because I used to watch a lot of political and topical news on various channels over the years and sometimes if you watch it everyday, you just see so much different information and stories and sometimes it is hard to remember all the details, or all the events that happened. For this reason, I am glad that I had the chance to go and see Rosewater, because obviously it is history, even though being recent, it is something that I do not remember, so I am glad I was introduced to this film and to Bahari's story, because it is an important one. The film is based on the book "Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity and Survival" by Bahari, and if you watch the end credits of this film, you can see that he had a lot of connections and consultation to this film. The film's screenplay and direction is from Jon Stewart, of television's The Daily Show, of which just recently, Stewart announced that he would be leaving from. If you watch the film and do a little bit of research on it afterwards, you can definitely see why Stewart wanted to make this into a full length movie and not just a segment on his television show. Some would even be of the opinion that Stewart's program could have been a further instigator and certainly did not help Bahari's situation when he was imprisoned. Perhaps that is why Stewart took time off from doing his television show. In my opinion, I think he thought this was a story that definitely needed to be told and to also honour and in some ways apologize to Bahari, for the events that led up to his arrest and detainment. Stewart's loyalty and respect for him certainly comes through during the film and you can tell that he certainly thinks a lot and very highly of Bahari. I have never watched The Daily Show before, mostly because I had no interest in it and I think usually the humour they employ on the program (it is a satirical news program for those who have not seen it) is usually more democratic, or left leaning and I was personally afraid of it being a bit too biased, so on those accounts I stayed away from it. I have seen Stewart in some films before as well as when he hosted the 2006 Academy Awards, which unfortunately for Stewart did not turn out too well (although I was massively ticked off also that Crash, won that year over a handful of other worthy films), so that maybe had to do with some of my dislike for the year's awards ceremony anyhow. Back to Rosewater though, Stewart shows that he is a very capable writer and director and he does a good job on both accounts here. The film casts Gael Garcia Bernal (an actor who I have liked and enjoyed since his performance in Y Tu Mama Tambien) as Bahari and he does a very good job here. As does Kim Bodnia, who plays an interrogator who gives the film it's title name. The film is fascinating as it recounts these true events, but still makes them fresh and interesting whether you remembered a lot of these events happening, or were unbeknownst to them like I was. It all unfolded like a fascinating drama and the film certainly kept your interest and you really wanted to see how everything turned out at the end and I think the same would be true for people who are familiar with the story as well because of the strong filmmaking in front of and behind the camera. In Stewart's screenplay, he very wisely avoids all types of melodrama, which I think was the right choice here. Had this film been melodramatic the emotions you grow to have with the characters, would have felt more forced than something you feel for them because you like and grow to care for them and that just would not have worked. Fortunately also, I did not detect a strong political bias to the film, so for those who hate biased, or one sided storytelling can breathe clear, because the main message here is about freedom and how certain atrocities still go on around the world and we need to be aware of them, but at the same time the film does not feel like it is lecturing us, or telling us what to think, or even clearly demonizing anyone, or anything, but rather just tells the story facts and all. I found the two strongest characters to be Bahari as well as Kim Bodnia's character of the interrogator. Even though you are not rooting in any way for Bodnia's character, I found him to be a fascinating man and there seems to be more going on than what is first obvious and you can almost detect that he has his own fascination, or even to a small degree, respect, for Bahari and their interactions play out beautifully because of the strong writing and also the top notch performances from these two men. Having now watched Rosewater, I do consider it to be a film of importance and deserves to be seen and have it's story told.

Greetings again from the darkness. A surefire method to get attention for a movie is "the feature film directorial debut of Jon Stewart". The popular comedian/commentator/talk show host makes an exceptional living getting people to laugh and think, so a politically charged story based on real life events should be right in his proverbial wheelhouse. Mix in the fact that Stewart and his show are linked to those events, and now you have some real intrigue.

Maziar Bahari was a Newsweek political correspondent sent to cover the 2009 Presidential election in Iran. His experience led him to write the book "Then They Came For Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity and Survival", on which the film is based. Bahari was a young husband who left his pregnant wife at home for what he thought would be an assignment lasting but a few days. Instead, by the time he returned home, he had been held captive in Evin Prison for 118 days – suspected of being a foreign spy, and incessantly interrogated and subjected to psychological and physical torture.

Gael Garcia Bernal plays Bahari with a naive and amiable spirit that contrasts sharply with what we might envision as the traits necessary for success in his line of work. It does work well to allow the viewer a quick connection with the character as we later pull for him during the toughest moments. The film brings light to the importance of a free press, and the dangers inherent otherwise. As the Iranian government accuses Bahari of being a spy, it's easy for us to understand the blurred line between spy and journalist. Those with the most to hide are often the most paranoid.

When Bahari first arrives in Iran, happenstance leads him to cross paths with a taxi driver who enthusiastically introduces him to the "educated" … the "not Ahmadinejad" faction. These are the revolutionaries working to bring enlightenment to the government through their candidate. As you are probably aware, the election instead brought what Bahari's mother (Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog) calls "the same old sh**". In other words, despite seemingly overwhelming support, their candidate lost in what they can only assume was another fixed election.

Bahari's personal story is the focus of the film much more than an investigative look into Iranian elections. He films the protests of the election aftermath, and the next morning he is awakened to a search of his personal belongings. The accusations begin with such laughers as having his "Sopranos" DVD classified as a pornography collection. Laughs are short-lived though, as Bahari is arrested and swept away to the prison. The torture he faces is nothing like what we witnessed in Zero Dark Thirty, but the psychological warfare waged by his interrogator (Kim Bodnia) is designed to break down Bahari emotionally so that he admits to being a spy (an enemy of the government).

We certainly gain insight into Bahari's personal struggle to maintain his hope and position. Visions of his father and sister appear to him in his cell and provide advice. These apparitions seem more level-headed and passionate than Bahari was even before his arrest. And therein lies the biggest issue with the movie. We know how the story ends, so the suspense is non-existent. Instead, we are somehow to relate to the daily misery endured by Bahari, but that just isn't captured in a two hour movie. The closest we get is a remarkable sequence where Mr Bernal (as Bahari) moves to the music (in his head) of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love". This is a man clinging to hope for his future with memories from the past. It's a very touching moment.

The need for a free press is obvious from this story, but it's unclear whether another point made in the movie was intentional. Bahari has his camera holstered during the violent election aftermath until he is disparaged by one of the rebels … something along the lines of "you have a weapon and choose not to use it". This moment raises the question of whether these political correspondents are so concerned about personal danger that they let that affect the stories they tell and the pictures we see. This may be the most powerful question raised by the film, and one not easy to answer.

Lastly, it does seem at times that the movie plays as Jon Stewart's tribute to Maziar Bahari, which makes us wonder whether Stewart's burden of guilt from his (unintended) role in Bahari's capture was the driving force behind the making of the film. It comes across a bit light on issues and heavy on hero-worship (apology). Still, mixing in actual news footage and the role of social media, keeps us from forgetting that this is a real man plunged into a dangerous situation simply because he was trying to show and tell the truth.

"Rosewater" (2014 release; 103 min.) brings the true story of Iranian-born journalist Maziar Bahari. As the movie opens, it is "June 21, 2009", when we see Iranian police arrest Bahari at his mother's house in Tehran. We then go back to June 9, 2009, a few days before the presidential elections in Iran. Bahari is making final preparations in the UK for his trip to Iran, and we learn that his wife is pregnant. To tell you much more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for your self how it all plays out.

Several comments: first, much of the movie's claim to fame comes from the fact that this is written and directed by Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show. Stewart's script is based on Bahari's memoir "Then They Came For Me". Second, the movie is divided up into 2 halves: in the first half we see what transpires in the days before and after the elections, and the second half brings the imprisonment of Bahari. I must admit I enjoyed the first half more, not because the second half is "bad", but because Stewart pulls no punches on the emotional and psychological torture which Bahari must endure. Some scenes are simply very tough to watch. Stewart uses quite a bit of archive footage in the first half of the movie. Third, the infamous scene from The Daily Show in which Bahari is mock-interviewed by an American "spy", is played up in the movie, to great effect (the Iranian interrogator/torturer asks: "why did you interview the American spy?", to which Bahari responds: "if he was really a spy, why would he have his own TV show?", ha!). There are several other lighter moments which benefit the movie greatly. At one point Bahari obtains an interview with an Iranian spokesman by offering chocolates. "Allah is no match for chocolates", Bahari tells his co-workers, ha! Last but not least, there is a nice orchestral soundtrack, composed by veteran Howard Shore.

The movie opened on all of 2 screens for all of Greater Cincinnati this weekend. I had been looking forward to this, and went to see it right away. The early evening screening I saw this at was not particularly well attended, but this doesn't surprise me. This is not particularly a feel-good movie, and not for a broad audience. If on the other hand you are interested in the topic, I would readily recommend that you check out this movie, be in the theater, or later on DVD/Blu-ray.

This film is recommended.

Comedian and television host Jon Stewart took a leave of absence from his television work to make this powerful political drama, Rosewater, a film that became a small part of his life after filming a faux-news segment on his Daily Show gig. That interview became evidence to try and convict that guest, Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-born journalist. (In 2009, Bahari was arrested in Iran while covering a story for Newsweek and falsely accused of being a spy.) Stewart took a personal interest in his story due to his subsequent involvement with this reporter.

Like the prisoners in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bahari retreats into a fantasy world in order to keep his sanity over the many long months during this ordeal. His scenes in solitary confinement serve in sharp contrast with memories of his past life, as one is immediately drawn into his plight. Rosewater vividly chronicles this injustice as it focuses on his imprisonment and torture.

Bahari (Gael García Bernal) is arrested soon after the movie opens, while his mother, Moloojoon (Shohreh Aghdashloo), helplessly looks on. The film takes its time with its exposition of the political ramifications of an election and the country's divide among its party leaders and supporters. The protests lead to the harrowing sequences of brutal interrogation between Bahari and his captor, Javadi (Kim Bodnia) that are the majority of the film's content. (Bahari spends most of these scenes blindfolded and his only connection with his interrogator is the heavy scent of rosewater wore by his adversary, hence the title.)

First time writer / director Stewart skillfully builds the tension and frustration faced by this prisoner and wisely allows the two actors to play off each other in subtle and overt ways. Sometimes the atmospheric photography is self-conscious, with too much hand-held camera-work overused in order to try to capture the frenzied state of revolution; other times, he keeps a keen visual eye as the events unfold, as when walking the streets of Iran and flooding its windows with surreal images of Bahari's family amid the social unrest.

Bernal is very effective as Bahari. One can sense the fear and inner strength within this character by the physical choices that the actor makes, from his trembling voice to his stoic posturing. The role might be written as too saintly and heroic, but Bernal downplays that aspect beautifully. Especially touching is Bernal's inspired dance against oppression set to a Leonard Cohen song. His is a strong and memorable portrayal of a man who has lost freedom but not his sense of hope. The same can be adversely said of the thankless role of the evil interrogator. As his opponent, Bodnia is a commanding force, both as actor and written character. The film succeed primarily due to their spirited performances.

The political debating between the two men plays out like a point/ counterpoint segment as each tries to gain the psychological advantage of the other. Although the moviegoer may already know the outcome of the film, the escalating dangers between captor and captive make for predictable but still riveting viewing.

The film does become slightly preachy and self-righteous as its point-of-view is strictly on the side of its protagonist. But the impact of an innocent man wronged by a tyrannical regime resonates with understated power. Rosewater is an important film that documents the perils of journalism in a crazed world where politics and religion frequently undermine rational thinking, all at the cost of one's man's precious freedom. GRADE: B

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