This is How Movies Should Be Made

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

They backed out of showing the real reason that this camp is famous for because of fear of backlash from the extreme Muslims. The most someone breaks the rules are that they make her watch a prisoner being showered. Disappointing

Excellent performances by Stewart and Moaadi, i have never care enough or take the time to "review" a movie, but in this case i really had too , this movie was so good and so real wow, at first i thought it would be some US propaganda that they are the good guys but in the end i have no idea who is right or wrong anymore i only know how pointless the War and in this case GITMO is.The movie was totally worth my time and i recommend everyone to watch it.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Private Cole (Kristen Stewart) has escaped her desperately boring small town life, and is stationed as a guard in Camp X-Ray, the notorious detention centre where suspected terrorists are held. Encountering particular hostility as a woman, among the predominantly Arabic detainees, she is forced to tough it out, until she crosses paths with Ali (Peyman Moaadi), a fluent and articulate prisoner who won't be quiet, and pesters her with queries. Eventually, after much hardship, the pair begin to establish a report that challenges each of them as people.With what strikes you from the beginning as a particularly low budget (and pretty minimal publicity) feature length debut director Peter Sattler has delivered this challenging and probing drama, that perhaps more fittingly keeps a small scale tone, and delivers a much bigger impact as a result. Playing like a less mind bending version of The Silence of the Lambs (which doesn't go unreferenced), it takes a subject torn from today's headlines, and uses it as a template to create some fine human drama.Playing as a character study of two diametrically opposed individuals, operating on different sides of an ideological war, in the lead role it zooms in primarily on Stewart's role as the headstrong young recruit who is forced to somehow find the strength to find common ground with a man who chucks sh!t all over her, whilst Moaadi's Ali is a complex, irrepressible character, whose behaviour and motivations always keep you guessing what is driving him.Independent cinema seems to be the only outlet for more intelligent, considered material like this to flourish in this climate, but really it's more of a blessing than a curse. ****

This really surprised me.Incredibly moving, brilliantly scripted and quite remarkable performances from the two main characters.The type of film that you might not watch if you simply read the description of it but turns out to be one you'll remember for a long time.It is even more of an achievement when you consider that the majority of the scenes take place between two characters stood on opposite sides of a door! Imagine having that set as a task for you and coming up with anything remotely interesting.I can't commend the direction enough and will look out for Peter Sattler movies in future.