Trailer Link

Release Date:

November 14, 2014

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A journalist is detained in Iran for more than 100 days and brutally interrogated in prison.”

Poster: C

Review: You have to watch the trailer to fully understand the motif of the hand reaching towards the sunlight, at least in terms of its connection to the film. Getting the meaning and finding the poster inviting or significant are completely different concepts.

Trailer: C+

Review: In the modern era, we’ve seen a lot of films that explore the innocent prisoner concept, pitting totalitarian regimes against the personal rights and freedoms of others. Jon Stewart has been spoofing national and international news for years and is one of the keenest political minds working today. I have to give him credit for trying, but after watching the trailer, I don’t have a lot of hope for the film.

Oscar Prospects:

Jon Stewart’s directorial debut could be the kind of catnip Oscar voters will attack with vim and vigor. The early reviews out of Telluride have been fairly good, but the film has an uphill battle. It’s been a long time since a former Television personality succeeded in traversing the TV-Film divide and scoring Oscar consideration. I’m not so sure it will be this film, though Gael Garcia Bernal could step outside of the film’s director’s shadow and snag a Best Actor nomination.

Revisions:

(August 31, 2014) Original
(November 9, 2014) Updated Release Date (changed from 11/7/14)