Kristen Stewart plays Cole – she is a young woman who joins the army to make a difference and escape the mundanity of small town life. Then she gets assigned to Guantanamo Bay to guard 'detainees' of 'The War on Terror'. Not what she had hoped for. On arrival she enters a World of machismo and casual violence.
Then she meets Ali who has been detained for years in a small cell. He loves Harry Potter and misses his old life but detention without trial means he has no rights not even the basic ones established under The Geneva Convention. He is visibly lonely and hanging onto sanity and life by a thread but he is attracted to this new guard and slowly he breaks down her reserve and they connect on a very human level. This though is verboten and soon she has to work out who really is her enemy.
Now this is a very well made film, it avoids over sentimentality and crass judgements and instead focuses on the ordinary and by doing so shows how extra ordinary it can be. Upstanding performances are found across the board here but Peyman Moaadi ('A Separation' and 'About Elly')as Ali is particularly noteworthy. This is a film about conflict but also about removing the barriers that cause it; it is thoughtful and manages to hold your attention throughout- a rather excellent watch and so recommended.
Then she meets Ali who has been detained for years in a small cell. He loves Harry Potter and misses his old life but detention without trial means he has no rights not even the basic ones established under The Geneva Convention. He is visibly lonely and hanging onto sanity and life by a thread but he is attracted to this new guard and slowly he breaks down her reserve and they connect on a very human level. This though is verboten and soon she has to work out who really is her enemy.
Now this is a very well made film, it avoids over sentimentality and crass judgements and instead focuses on the ordinary and by doing so shows how extra ordinary it can be. Upstanding performances are found across the board here but Peyman Moaadi ('A Separation' and 'About Elly')as Ali is particularly noteworthy. This is a film about conflict but also about removing the barriers that cause it; it is thoughtful and manages to hold your attention throughout- a rather excellent watch and so recommended.