A very timely release for THE MAURITANIAN - the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack coupled with the controversial withdrawal of troops and civilians from Afghanistan as that twenty year long war ends. Finally we are offered insight into the Guantánamo imprisonment of 'suspected initiators' of terrorism through this true story as offered in Mohamedou Ould Slahi's book GUANTANAMO DIARY written in 2015.
Kevin Macdonald directs this well-written screenplay (Michael Bronner, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani) that places before us the tragic treatment of detainees at the prison in Guantánamo. The gifted actor Tahir Rahim (A Prophet, The Past) brings a stunning performance as Mohamedou, facile in English, French, and Arabic, and grows into the role so well that he captures not only the right to be released as innocent after 14 years of torture and misery as an uncharged detainee, but also our hearts and minds. He is championed by his lawyer Nancy Holland (Jodie Foster) assisted by her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). The testy prosecution attorney Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) is ultimately able to unlock the files that reveal Mohamedou's innocence and has the courage to bring this into the courtroom at last
The entire cast is excellent, including the prisoner's family, and even the guards mistreating Mohamedou are convincing in their depiction of the horrors of the prison, and the musical score by Tom Hodge incorporates music of both sides of Mohamedou's life without overwhelming the film. This is a difficult film to watch because it is true - and still happening! But this is an important film for all of us to experience and then strive for correction of this dark and ugly problem.
Kevin Macdonald directs this well-written screenplay (Michael Bronner, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani) that places before us the tragic treatment of detainees at the prison in Guantánamo. The gifted actor Tahir Rahim (A Prophet, The Past) brings a stunning performance as Mohamedou, facile in English, French, and Arabic, and grows into the role so well that he captures not only the right to be released as innocent after 14 years of torture and misery as an uncharged detainee, but also our hearts and minds. He is championed by his lawyer Nancy Holland (Jodie Foster) assisted by her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). The testy prosecution attorney Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) is ultimately able to unlock the files that reveal Mohamedou's innocence and has the courage to bring this into the courtroom at last
The entire cast is excellent, including the prisoner's family, and even the guards mistreating Mohamedou are convincing in their depiction of the horrors of the prison, and the musical score by Tom Hodge incorporates music of both sides of Mohamedou's life without overwhelming the film. This is a difficult film to watch because it is true - and still happening! But this is an important film for all of us to experience and then strive for correction of this dark and ugly problem.