Jon Stewart has been of the most important people of the new millennium. He and his Daily Show has openly challenged politicians and their manipulation of the news cycle to further their own ideals. Stewart can see past the BS better than many of the so-called journalists out there in a way that makes news easier to digest. Succumbing to demand, Stewart finally has written and directed his first feature film, Rosewater. The film is an uplifting tale that is mostly compelling for a first film, although Stewart’s influence on the material probably inhibited meatier storytelling from dominating the story.
Rosewater is about journalist Maziar Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal). Bahari was covering the 2009 Iranian Election for Newsweek Magazine, in which Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defeated upstart Mir-Hossein Mousavi by an absurd margin of victory. Bahari filmed both sides of the conflict, realizing that the results were fabricated. The journalist elected to videotape the conflict and resulting protests, resulting in his lengthy imprisonment by the Iranian government. Bahari was physically and mentally tortured by Rosewater (Kim Bodnia), using his wit and inner resolve to survive his imprisonment before his eventual release.
Jon Stewart knew Bahari very well. In fact, one of the pieces of “evidence” used against Bahari was a Daily Show segment he taped. Stewart has cited his personal involvement in the story as a reason he wanted to help craft this film. As such, the main thrust of the narrative is making Maziar Bahari into a hero that the man deserves to be treated as. That story is mostly well done. Early on, Bahari is set up as a well-principled, educated man, but scared to take a stand. When thrust into a decision though, Bahari usually chooses correctly. Stewart goes to great lengths to show how Bahari’s oppressors/captors are ignorant, but not stupid: they get the upper hand more than a couple times. In prison, Bahari has conversations with dead relatives in solitary to express his fear and strengthen his resolve. The segments in solitary are a little long, but move quickly enough to keep from needlessly dragging. I didn’t feel compelled to standingly ovate for Rosewater, but Maziar Bahari’s optimism and fight made me proud of the remaining pockets of journalism that support the voiceless.
As compelling as the story of Maziar is, there are several bigger stories Stewart keeps in the background to the detriment of Rosewater. The Iranian election along with the rest of the “Arab Spring” was famous for using social media to spread the movement. Stewart touches on this with uses of hashtags and references to Facebook; since Bahari worked for a magazine, his thoughts on this could have been used to give more context to the man, but instead are left on the sidelines. Most importantly, Mr. Rosewater’s interrogation is littered with dark ridiculous humor that doesn’t surface enough. One of the highlights of the film is when Bahari points out that Jason Jones, the Daily Show’s American “spy,” is a pretty poor spy because he has a TV show. The ludicrous nature of the questioning gets some big laughs and exposes how fundamentally flawed the government’s logic is. It would also help show how smart Bahari is by out crazying the crazy questions. More humor would help with the probably jarring shifts in tone Bahari must have experienced in prison, further showcasing the personal turmoil the man persevered.
Gael Garcia Bernal, despite his Hispanic roots, is very good as Bahari. Bernal’s performance is reactive and human, capturing the fear and befuddlement Bahari must have felt; however, there is a warmness and determination in Bernal that makes you easily root for the man. Kim Bodina is equal parts unhinged and repressed as Mr. Rosewater, humanizing the man that could easily have been a caricature. Dimitri Leonidas, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Golshifteh Farahani, and Claire Foy are pretty good in limited roles as well.
Jon Stewart’s first feature is by no means a failure. Rosewater is an inspiring tale of a fascinating man in a fascinating time. Now that Stewart has done justice to Maziar Bahari’s tale, he can refocus on the Daily Show or perhaps another film in which he is not involved in. Maybe he can do the Chris Christie biopic since he is from New Jersey.