The Mauritanian

STORY: This movie is based on the 2015 memoir ‘Guantánamo Diary’ by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a man from Mauritania who was detained at the notorious Guantánamo Bay prison for 14 long years without a trial for being allegedly involved in one of the deadliest terror attacks on America till date, 9/11.

REVIEW: The opening shot of the film is of a grand feast in Mauritania—guests relishing good cuisine and engaged in merrymaking—till the local cops come and take a young Slahi to the police station. “I will be back soon,” he assures his mother. Slahi doesn’t return from the US for next 14 years. ‘The Mauritanian’ is a tale of torment and torture, rage and redemption, but most importantly, it is about a man who went through gates of hell and emerged victorious, all smiles while preaching the lesson of humanity and forgiveness. To his tormentors, the people who questioned his integrity and to himself.

Filmmaker Kevin Mac Donald’s take on this sensitive issue is humane personified and his storytelling technique, poignant. He is essentially a documentary filmmaker but one conversation with his subject convinced him to go down the dramatic route. It pays. Tahar Rahim as the man enduring the wrath of an angry and insecure authoritative body is one that evokes pity in the hearts of the viewers. Tahar undergoes drastic body transformation to bring forth the plight of the man who has seen it all—the enhanced interrogation techniques, good-cop-bad tactic and the cautious yet caring approach of his lawyers Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley).

The coercion sequences—rendered through psychedelic visual presentation—offshoots of the reel Slahi’s suspicions towards those who want to save him. “Who do you want me to sue today? God?” asks Slahi when Hollander gives in to her inner consciousness: she is convinced of his innocence. That scene is a complete knock-out. It is not just Tahar’s depiction of the helpless prisoner that conjures up an emotional upheaval in the auidence, but also Jodie Foster’s feisty act as lawyer Hollander that shakes one up and makes us question all that we believe in, and why.

Benedict Cumberbatch is the stern former Navy man/prosecutor Stu Couch in this legal saga. His twitching of the eyebrows and that unmistakable angst towards the central character is palpable and Cumberbatch takes to the role like fish to water. Shailene Woodley is in an ethical limbo—miss the holidays for a man who may or may not have killed some of her own or go by what she sees; his seemingly doomed fate. Woodley is impactful even in her brief role.

‘The Mauritanian’ is all things heart but is not free of flaws. Macdonald never fully explains why The American government comes heavily on Slahi: a cousin on the wrong side of law had wired some money to him in the past and he was once at a ‘camp’ back in the late 90s. Also, the swift change of Stu Couch’s heart is rather indigestible given the fact that he was so venomous towards prisoner number 760. Jodie Foster’s emotional breakdown is frown-inducing, too. It's easy, convenient and wrapped up in haste.

Everything said and done, ‘The Mauritanian’ is an out-and-out Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster masterclass on how to approach layered characters. It is not when he shows emotions that Tahar strikes a chord, but it is his kind eyes and restrained demeanour that pierces through your heart. Those tears he almost sheds. Those bouts of anger that never find an outlet.

‘The Mauritanian’ is a lot of things and in-depth representation of the primary subject and the simmering issues underneath is not one of them. And yet, with conviction, we say it relievers what it promises to do: give peace and forgiveness a chance. Both to Slahi and dear America.