THE MAURITANIAN | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Kevin MacDonald (15, 129 mins)
A pertinent, well-intentioned drama that occasionally beggars belief as it tells the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a man kept without charge in Guantanamo for years, and the efforts to free him. Taken during a family celebration, Slahi – played by an excellent Tahar Rahim, also to be seen in BBC drama The Serpent – is whisked off to Cuba’s notorious Guantanamo Bay and questioned about his links to Al-Qaeda.
Based on Slahi’s book Guantanamo Diary, the film documents his struggle for freedom as pro bono lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) take on his case against the US Government. Nominated for the prosecution is Benedict Cumberbatch’s Colonel Stuart Couch – a god-fearing man who lost a friend in the 9/11 terrorist attack, which Slahi is accused of masterminding. With evidence redacted and Slahi’s reluctance to share his story, initially the battle against a possible death sentence seems impossible. As the lawyers dig deeper, though, Slahi opens up, Couch starts to question interrogation techniques and a path to freedom is glimpsed.
The cast are universally strong: Rahim in particular mesmerizes as Slahi, barely maintaining sanity as he faces rounds of questioning from US officials before horrific torture, yet still holding on to his sense of hope and forgiveness, believing that the US will offer justice. Director Kevin MacDonald (Touching The Void, The Last King Of Scotland) keeps the legalese moving along swiftly, as well as creating disorienting, horrifying torture sequences as Slahi faces sleep deprivation, stress poses, sexual humiliation and waterboarding – all sanctioned by the US Government and Donald Rumsfeld, of course.
Foster is solid as the workaholic attorney, with Woodley her more idealistic associate, and Zachary Levi is a lowkey family man, culpable in the horrific proceedings in his CIA role. Including the actual Slahi in the film’s final moments adds even more poignancy to the proceedings, and outrage at his treatment by a USA blinded to facts is unavoidable.
Released on Amazon Prime on Thurs 1 Apr
words KEIRON SELF