Directed by first-time filmmaker Jon Stewart (yes, from Comedy Central), the story revolves around a Newsweek journalist named Maziar Bahari (an Iranian journalist, curiously played by Mexico native Gael Garcia Bernal) who covered the 2009 Presidential Elections of Iran, after which he was thrown into solitary confinement after accused of being a spy.
The film trods along, over 100 days of isolation (aside from his daily meetings with two interregators, one of whom is dubbed 'Rosewater' in the credits only). He is asked absurd questions, to which they receive absurd answers. Bahari also consults with his deceased father, also held in prison in the 1950's for suspected Communist activities. This, and his realization that the world is watching to make sure he survives, gives him the strength to endure and eventually return to his wife in London.
Jon Stewart has a clear understanding of the material (his show, coincidentally, is one of the reasons Bahari was imprisoned in the first place) but the film is an amateur work. After 10 minutes of confinement, we know all there is to know, and apparitions of his father are thrown in as a means to keep the plot moving (or audiences interested). It serves only as a gimmick - scripted dialogue during a time the director was too afraid to be content with silence. There is never a real threat during his imprisonment, as the guards are portrayed as incompetent and untrained. Bahari's blindfold comes on and off so frequently, we wonder why he ever bothers to put it back on at all?
In my mind, this film would have been better served as a documentary. First-hand accounts surrounding the election would undoubtedly be more impactful, and understanding the true conditions of this Iranian prison would have been even more intriguing. The film creates an emotional narrative, and the ending is fulfilling... In the end, maybe the book would have been a better investment.
(Awards potential: Best Original Score)
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