In his directorial debut, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart makes a flawed but competently made film with Rosewater.
Those familiar with The Daily Show should know about host Jon Stewart’s wit, timeliness and political drive. So when he decided to make his screenwriting and directorial debut, one expects to see these traits, found on TV five days a week, on the silver screen. They would not be wrong for doing so either and these character traits are what make Stewart’s flawed-by-passionate introduction to filmmaking, Rosewater, a success.
Adapted from the memoir Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival by Maziar Bahari with Aimee Molloy, Stewart’s film explores the 118-day imprisonment and torture Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal) endured in 2009 after being mistaken for a spy. Initially sent by Newsweek to cover the country’s latest presidential election, the reporter found himself under Iran’s government supervision after his appearance on Stewart’s show indirectly leads to his captivity.
While his pregnant wife, his mother and millions of people wait for his release, Bahari has to keep his spirits high, just as the Iran superiors try pushing him to his breaking point. Through humor, the spirit of his deceased family members and the fact he knows he did nothing wrong, Bahari persists through four months of punches and psychological torture.
As stated in interviews, and even on his own show, Stewart made Rosewater as something of an apology to Bahari for accidentally getting the journalist in this predicament. It isn’t so much him trying to get a second career as a filmmaker —as far as this writer can tell, at least— but as a means of exposing the injustice found with thousands of journalists around the globe. It’s a notable effort, and an important one, but results would have been better if only Stewart felt just a tad more comfortable pushing his film to the next level.
Stewart’s sincerity for the subject blocks Bahari from being a fully fleshed-out personality on screen. The Daily Show host clearly is earnest for this subject and his journey, and this emotional investment aids the film in select moments. But for a movie wanting to study the human injustices endured, Rosewater feels too light and tame in its depictions of violence.
Moments focusing on the psychological terror Bahari faces are among the best scenes in Stewart’s film, heightened by Kim Bodina giving the movie’s best performance as “Rosewater,” a nickname Bahari gives based on the man’s scent. But, for all its sincerity, Rosewater feels only skin-deep when examining its characters and themes. It’s most definitely competent in its filmmaking, but the fairly amateur style, marred by some occasionally sloppy storytelling, takes away from its effectiveness.
The biggest offenders of these issues come from its screenwriting, with Stewart’s writing sadly being too on-the-nose and blunt when it comes to dialogue. Rosewater is politically biased, just like The Daily Show, but it feels too light-footed when tackling political commentary. Whenever it feels like making a point, it relies too much on overly straightforward dialogue, making fairly complicated issues feel rudimentary.
As a writer-turned-filmmaker, Stewart also needs to learn how to show without telling, often getting too trigger-happy to include narration from the protagonist when he could very easily just show his thoughts in a visually-striking fashion. This is a problem for many first-time screenwriters however, and to Stewart’s credit, he does find room from some nice creative visuals in the first act. Most notably, a scene where pictures of Maziar’s deceased sister fill local windows like TV screens as he walks around town reminiscing about her.
Despite Stewart’s faults as a first-time filmmaker, he does know how to get some effective performances from his actors. While Bodina is, as stated above, the standout, Bernal gives a nicely sensitive lead performance, as well as Dimitri Leonidas’ relatable low-key supporting role as Davood. Also standing out here is some well-downplayed cinematography from Bobby Bukowski and editing from Jay Rabinowitz, helping evaluate terror and the feeling of isolation the actors create.
While it doesn’t look as though Stewart will move away from his comfy position on The Daily Show to make more films soon, there are signs here that Stewart could have potential in future endeavors behind-the-camera. His observant, reflective work here suggests a mature, intelligent filmmaker, who just needs to learn more about pacing and tone. Rosewater may not be a slam-dunk, but it’s at least another showcase of just how talented Stewart can be.
Rating: 3/5 stars
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