Rosewater

If you’re heading to Rosewater because it’s written and directed by comedy legend and Daily Show host John Stewart, you’re right: he does write and direct here. But the John Stewart behind the camera for his first feature film is the Stewart that wants to educate the West about the facts behind the news, not the Stewart who actually makes fun of the news, and so this adaptation of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari book is a lot lighter on the laughs than you might expect.
On the eve of the 2009 Iranian elections Bahari (Gael García Bernal) left his pregnant UK girlfriend to return to his homeland to cover what was generally assumed to be the forthcoming win by moderates. Instead, hardliners were returned to power in what was generally seemed to be a rigged election, Bahari’s coverage of the protest marches brought evidence of violence to the attention of the West. Then the security forces came for him and he spent the next 118 days in prison being tortured and abused. It’s a grim tale, but Stewart’s matter-of-fact retelling rarely cranks up the emotions – the torture and abuse rapidly becomes matter-of-fact, Bahari’s coerced confession meaningless.
It’s far from a humourless film – Bahari records a comedy interview with The Daily Show that’s later used as evidence against him by his humourless captors, while his relationship with his hard done-by torturer (Haluk Bilginer) eventually drifts from sinister to just another job. It’s certainly an interesting story worthy of wider attention; it’s just not one that makes for an especially memorable piece of film-making.