A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Mauritanian” (2021).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
BAFTA nominated but Oscar ignored
It’s perhaps not terribly surprising that “The Mauritanian” has been nominated for a bunch of BAFTAs at this weekend’s event (Best Film, Best British Film, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography), but not a single Oscar. America might well like to crawl away and forget this shameful story.
Plot Summary:
It’s 2001. Bush and Rumsfeld seek vengeance on the perpetrators of 9/11. Quite right too. But rounding up hundreds of suspects and incarcerating them for years, without charge, in Guantánamo Bay in Cuba was an appalling act for a supposedly first-world country.
“The Mauritanian” then is the true story of one such unfortunate – Mohamedou Ould Slahi, played by Tahar Rahim. We first join Slahi at a family wedding in Nouakchott (good “Pointless” answer for the capital of Mauritania people!). ‘Invited for questioning’ by the American authorities, we next see Slahi in the Cuban stronghold.
Pro-bono lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) becomes a pariah by picking up his defence. Supporting her is assistant Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Hollander is very formal and professionally aloof, not assuming his guilt or innocence. After meeting the man, and assuming his innocence, Duncan though is more emotionally involved. The man opposing them at trial is US Army prosecutor Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch). Couch, having lost one of his best friends aboard the South Tower plane, has an axe to grind.
As the pair battle unseen forces for access to documentation, they uncover more and more of the truth about life in Guantánamo Bay.
Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) interviews Slahia in Guantanamo Bay. (Source: GEM Entertainment).
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch.
Directed by: Kevin Macdonald.
Written by: Michael Bronner, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (based on the book “Guantanamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Slahia).
Y’all have some readin’ to do there boy. Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) getting to the truth of the matter. (Source: GEM Entertainment).
Review:
Positives:
- I’ve not read the book so I found the story gripping. As the related legal information is divulged, the movie drip-feeds flashbacks of Slahia’s story, which is clever.
- Acting wise, “The Mauritanian” has top notch stuff.
- Tahir Rahim is excellent as Slahia. He portrays charismatic and confident businessman, brought down to earth with a bump. Not recognizing him with an Oscar nomination feels like a minor crime. He will have to make do with the BAFTA nomination.
- Also brilliant is Jodie Foster. As the illustrious Mrs Movie Man pointed out, it’s so nice to see an actress acting her age with confidence.
- The ever-watchable Shailene Woodley is also great, especially in a dramatic ‘dismissal’ scene. She adds some much needed warmth to the legal team.
- The southern drawl from Cumberbatch is a bit of a surprise and takes some getting used to. But it’s still a strong performance from him.
- After ranting on last time at Zack Snyder’s use of 4:3 screen ratios in “Justice League”, here is an intelligent use of the technique. The film is in 16:9 ratio, but then pivots to 4:3 for all of the Guantanamo flashback scenes, reflecting the claustrophobia of Slahia’s position.
- Real-life footage over the closing titles is absolutely fascinating.
Negatives:
- I personally didn’t find this a particular negative, but I went into the film knowing it to be a “legal drama”. So there would be lots of scenes, as in “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, with courtroom debate and gavel-banging, right? Actually, there is almost none of that. Most of the legal action is in terms of the preparation of the case and the paperwork involved. (If this makes the movie sound excruciatingly dull… think again!)
- The Guantanamo story ends quite abruptly (with the above-mentioned jolt), and left me wanting to see more of the intervening time. It’s not often that I complain about a film running too short, but here is one where just a little of “the Snyder treatment” might have been welcomed!
I said that there was limited courtroom action in this one. But there is some. (Source: GEM Entertainment).
Additional Note:
- For those worried about seeing distressing scenes of torture (e.g. fingernail extraction, etc), these are – although disturbing – more of the “psychological torment” type. So those of a squeamish disposition can still watch this one.
The real Mohamedou Ould Slahia. (Source: knkx.org).
Summary Thoughts:
The fact that “The Mauritanian” is a true story hammers home just what the US has been up to over the last 20 years. War crimes are not only committed on the battlefield. In looking for someone to blame for this travesty, my natural reaction (particularly after seeing “Vice”) was to shout “Bloody Rumsfeld!”. But at one point in the movie there is a SIGNIFICANT caption-led jolt. And you realise with a shock that this turn of events happened during OBAMA’s presidency. Obama promised to close the camp (and, to be fair, reduced the numbers considerably). But it remained open, and lasted throughout the Trump era (obviously) to this day, housing 40 inmates. A history of the camp is available on wiki here. As recently as February, the Biden administration has again indicated that closing the camp was their “goal and intention” (see here).
Director Kevin Macdonald is no stranger to documentaries (“Touching the Void”, “Whitney”). He’s also proved adept at bringing gripping true stories to the screen (having previously given us “The Last King of Scotland”). Here, the emotional journeys of the key characters are well observed making the movie ‘highly recommended’.
Trailer:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tmxxzZXLEM.
Great review! That was a very enjoyable and insightful read. I am so happy someone is reviewing this film and positively. The Oscars have become so politicised. They included as nominees films on the US’s black history and feminism, but overlooked their own VERY RECENT history? Jodie Foster has always been a very brave actress who always did her own thing, and a brave director too. BAFTA also nominated Russian Konchalovsky’s film Dear Comrades! and, quite NATURALLY, of course, the Oscars didn’t.
Why thanks Diana – appreciate the positive comments. I haven’t seen “Dear Comrades” so will add it to my list. (Am vaguely embarrassed I’ve seen so few of the BAFTA films this year!).