Watch Rosewater For Free

Simply A Masterpiece

Nice effects though.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari is detained by Iranian forces who brutally interrogate him under suspicion that he is a spy.In a sense, this is sort of the companion piece to Ben Affleck's "Argo". Another story involving Canadians and Iranians, only this time in the 2010s rather than around 1980. And we see that in some ways, things never change.More films on Iran need to be made, just as more films need to be made in Iran. No country is more misunderstood by Americans, I would bet. While the government may be draconian at times, the people are good, loving people. We must not blame a people for their government.

I am pleasantly surprised when I find a well written film which relies on acting, enhanced by subtle art direction. So I was absorbed in this film from its beginning. The relationships between Maziar, his mother, his sister, his father, his Iranian peers and his persecutors are intertwined beautifully.Gael Garcia Bernal is probably one of a handful of international stars who could light up this story with consistently excellent acting. Kim Bodnia and Haluk Bilinger are also part of that group. The cast carries the storyline which is rather uncomplicated and well worn. The political, cultural and social issues for Maziar Bahari are not. Bernal's interpretation of the tortured and isolated journalist is painfully realistic. It is not the over-the-top Hollywood version of blood, nudity and brutality. This sets this film apart.I came away from the interchanges between Bahari and Rosewater with a better understanding of the repressed sexuality in theocratic Iran. Its patriarchy is twisted by its own harsh theology. The relationships between Bahari, his father and Rosewater could represent the core struggle between Iran's past and aspirations for its future. This is definitely a thinking person's film.

The movie presents quite an imbalanced story as a whole. The story building is quite brilliant by starting off from the arrest. It then develops very nicely by backtracking and restarting from London. But then when it reaches the point of the actual imprisonment days, the movie really lacks the suspense and dramatization that it needs to top out that story built. The prison days lacks very much the intensity that prison scenes should have. Even with the blindfold element, the scenes don't really seem intimidating. The Javadi character is depicted with a contradicting nature of being rigid but also kind of afraid of his inmate, even this can be exploited for adequate suspense. The acting overall is quite nice. Gael Garcia Bernal played out smoothly as an Iranian. Dimitri Leonidas, Haluk Bilginer and Kim Bodnia each played their roles well enough to complete the needed story angles. and

Why 10/10? It is a movie that informs, emotionally moves, incredibly well- paced, and offers the explanation of how & why there is universal hope for the world to achieve democracy & projects this hope in a positive direction in the telling of a tragic true story of systemic repression. Jon Stewart often jokes that his acting career was not stellar. Apparently, his tenure on The Daily Show has transformed him into a director with clarity of vision & purpose as he wrote the screenplay and directed "Rosewater". Please set aside your political predilections and watch this movie as an American valuing freedom & a person seeking to learn about the culture inside Iran. His direction was masterful, and this film was as lucky to find the perfect director, as the director was to find the perfect story. Again, let me stress, there is not a single sentence that can be classified as Republican or Democrat. Put simply, it is an American treasure, and an unforgettable film. It is no small feat to make a story such as this interesting throughout. The timing of the comedic moments are perfect and very funny. I haven't read how much the movie cost to make, and honestly I don't even care. It did the job of a Bruckheimer, or Weinstein movie, so the question is moot. There were no unnecessary shots or scenes & the only thing that might have been added was more detail before the credits about what happened after the story in Iran. It's not often a story with so much tragedy ends up giving one a renewed hope for the future of world civilization, but Jon Stewart, backed by a detailed true story accomplished exactly that. Mesmerizing, and unforgettable, this movie is one of the greatest of all- time. I easily stand by my 10/10 today and 20 years from now. Knox D. Alford, III