Rosewater

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Kim Bodnia, Dimitri Leonidas, Haluk Bilginer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jason Jones
Directed by: Jon Stewart
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An Iranian-Canadian journalist (Gael Garcia Bernal) is arrested while in Iran and detained and interrogated, as they believe he is a spy.

Review:

Tim: Rosewater intrigued me for several reasons- it was Jon Stewart's directorial debut (and I've long been a Stewart fan), it was inspired by true events, and Stewart's own Daily Show inadvertently played a role in Maziar Bahari's imprisonment in Iran. This trifecta of reasons ensured I'd check out this film. I can say that it's an enjoyable movie and although far from great, still a worthwhile, entertaining effort.

I'm impressed with Jon Stewart as a director. I don't think he will ever reach the heights of the one of the great directors, but he showed some flashes of brilliance in this film. There were several moments that left me inspired. Even more so than the great individual moments, Stewart just directs a solid movie from start to finish. So often, directorial debuts expose the weaknesses of their directors. The movies feel like they got away from them, that they were too big for their current talent level. That never happens here. While I'd like to see Stewart grow in certain areas, it felt like he was in command of this film from beginning to end. I think this is the film he intended to direct and I give him credit for bringing this story to life. Now, there were some missed opportunities- the imprisonment scenes are good, but are a little too safe. I never felt truly worried or concerned for Bahari. Some of this is because I know he lived, but great directors have crafted incredibly tense moments in films based on events we all know how they ended (see Apollo 13 or Argo for examples). That was never the case here. The story felt a little sanitized and safe. As a result, I was interested in what happened on screen, but I never felt any suspense. That's a weakness of the film and Stewart is responsible for that.

Now, Stewart does a great job of developing the character of Bahari. I identified with him, cared about him, and enjoyed getting to know the fictionalized version of him. From the scenes with his wife, his mother, his new Iranian friends, we get to know something about this character and we identify with him. Stewart deserves great credit for his character development. I also liked the portrayal of Javadi on screen. His character could have been one-dimensional, but he comes across as a complex, real person. That wasn't a certainty going into his, and Stewart did a great job of portraying this character's different layers.

Gael Garcia Bernal does great work as Bahari. I thought his acting was spot on and he greatly contributes to our feelings for the character. He was very, very strong. Kim Bodnia was wonderful as Javadi. He brings humanity to this dark character. I loved his performance in this film and believe he stole several scenes with his fantastic performance. He might have been my favorite part of the film.

One other minor complaint I have- I left the film a little confused about why it's called Rosewater. I understand Javadi used rosewater on himself. Was it the smell of rosewater that Bahari remembers? Did anyone call Javadi rosewater? I just wasn't clear on why that term was so important as to be the title of the film. I'd have liked a little more focus on that.

Rosewater is a solid directorial debut for Jon Stewart. It features some very strong performances and is an well-made movie. While it didn't blow me away, I have to admit I'm very curious to see what Stewart directs next.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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