Rosewater

In 2009, a London-based, Iranian-born journalist named Maziar Bahari was covering the general election in his homeland. Wrongly accused of being a spy, he was arrested and placed in solitary confinement for 118 days, during which time he was subjected to various forms of torture. The ordeal he suffered is dramatised in this satirical, thought-provoking political drama, which depicts a battle of wills between Bahari (played by Gael García Bernal) and an ignorant, brutish interrogator (Kim Bodnia). The scenes between the two are slightly repetitive in nature, but García Bernal is highly likeable as the compliant reporter, while Bodnia manages to humanise his thuggish captor. In addition, writer/director Jon Stewart (making his debut as a film-maker) captures the absurdity of the situation in a way that is both sobering and surprisingly humorous. The end result isn't always gripping, but it's a solid piece of work that deserves to be seen.