Cinephile № 872 “The Mauritanian”

Recommendation: 4/5 SHOWTIME

Plot: “Mohamedou Ould Salahu fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.” -IMBD

Review: “The Mauritanian” starring Tahar Rahim as Mohamedou Ould Salahu, Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Stuart Couch is a smart reckoning with one of America’s great sins during the 9/11 years. Some 90-miles from the Florida Keys sits a detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Since our country began a worldwide mission to kill, capture, detain, and question the supposed perpetrators of the September 11th attacks, detainees have been held here — many of them without the right to due process. This film attempts to reconcile the existence of this place with our American ideals by focusing on the trials and tribulations of one of the many people detained there. By doing so, it reveals what is being done and what has been done in our name.

The story begins with Rahim’s character Mohamedou being picked up at a wedding. After questioning, he is transferred to Gitmo. Once there, his case lands on the desk of Nancy Hollander, representing the client, and Stuart Couch representing the United States of America. Immediately, we get the sense there is a profound level of distrust between the opposing sides. There also seems to be an absurd level of secrecy…