The Mauritanian fails to humanize the story it’s telling, never coming off like something more challenging or interesting than a superficial, manipulative accounting of true events.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald.
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, Tahar Rahim, Zachary Levi, Langley Kirkwood, Corey Johnson, Matthew Marsh, Sammer Usmani, David Fynn, André Jacobs, Meena Rayann, Arthur Falko, Stevel Marc, and Robert Hobbs.
SYNOPSIS:
Mohamedou Ould Salahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.
Despite
The Mauritanian playing out procedurally and almost statically, there are a number of elements working in its favor. At its core, Kevin Macdonald’s look at Guantánamo Bay torture is about Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim), a detainee charged over years with alleged connections to 9/11 terrorism yet without any actual evidence from the US government. In that regard, it’s a tale of an indomitable spirit admirably clinging to his faith while enduring unimaginable horrors, picking up the English language in the process, and making a prisoner friend along the way. Tahar R