Film No. 8 (2015) February 7th. 11.00 AM LUNA Leederville.
"Yeh, but if they are not worried, why are you?"
Rosewater
Rosewater is yet another feature film based on a true and unnerving event. The events depicted in this well made film by first time film maker Jon Stewart are uncomfortably absorbing. This is the same Jon Stewart who hosts the satirical Daily Show on US television and the same Jon Stewart who conducted a "light" segment on his show with the subject of this film Maziar Bahari in the guest seat.
The story goes that Iranian born, Canadian journalist Bahari (Gael Garcia) travelled to Iran for their 2009 elections. While there Bahari shot footage on his handheld camera of the street protests. This footage captured amongst other things,the death of a protestor and it gained world wide attention, showing the people of Iran protesting their anger at a lack of proper democratic procedure in their country.
We learn that Bahari's family has a past with the regime. His father and sister were dissidents and paid a high price for this. We assume this is the reason Bahari holds a Canadian passport. Perhaps that is part of the reason he is unjustly arrested and interrogated. Or maybe it was his appearance on Stewart's TV slot. None of this is explained because it is the interrogation during his 118 day imprisonment which holds our focus for 85% of the film's duration.
This is not a film to recommend easily. The subject matter is important because of the outrageousness of the injustice we experience but it's because we are doing the time with him, literally looking over his shoulder, that this cinema visit is grueling as opposed to entertaining. Based on the memoir by Bahari, Then They Came For Me, this film is made by a journalist about a journalist in the hope that more journalists might be safe. 8GUMS.
The story goes that Iranian born, Canadian journalist Bahari (Gael Garcia) travelled to Iran for their 2009 elections. While there Bahari shot footage on his handheld camera of the street protests. This footage captured amongst other things,the death of a protestor and it gained world wide attention, showing the people of Iran protesting their anger at a lack of proper democratic procedure in their country.
We learn that Bahari's family has a past with the regime. His father and sister were dissidents and paid a high price for this. We assume this is the reason Bahari holds a Canadian passport. Perhaps that is part of the reason he is unjustly arrested and interrogated. Or maybe it was his appearance on Stewart's TV slot. None of this is explained because it is the interrogation during his 118 day imprisonment which holds our focus for 85% of the film's duration.
This is not a film to recommend easily. The subject matter is important because of the outrageousness of the injustice we experience but it's because we are doing the time with him, literally looking over his shoulder, that this cinema visit is grueling as opposed to entertaining. Based on the memoir by Bahari, Then They Came For Me, this film is made by a journalist about a journalist in the hope that more journalists might be safe. 8GUMS.
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