Rosewater (film) explained

Rosewater
Director:Jon Stewart
Producer:Scott Rudin
Jon Stewart
Gigi Pritzker
Screenplay:Jon Stewart
Starring:Gael García Bernal
Kim Bodnia
Haluk Bilginer
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Golshifteh Farahani
Music:Howard Shore[1]
Cinematography:Bobby Bukowski
Editing:Jay Rabinowitz
Studio:OddLot Entertainment
Busboy Productions
Distributor:Open Road Films[2]
Runtime:103 minutes[3]
Country:United States
Language:English
Budget:$5–10 million[4] [5]
Gross:$3.2 million

Rosewater is a 2014 American political drama film written, directed and produced by Jon Stewart, based on the memoir Then They Came for Me by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy.[6] It recounts Bahari's 2009 imprisonment by Iran, connected to an interview he participated in on The Daily Show that same year; Iranian authorities presented the interview as evidence that he was in communication with an American spy.[7] Due to the content of the film, Stewart has been accused by Iran's state TV of being funded by Zionists and working with the CIA.[8] The film was released in theaters on November 14, 2014.

The film received generally positive reviews for Bernal's performance, Stewart's direction, and its timely themes, but was criticized for its screenplay.

Plot

In 2009, London-based Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari is detained in Iran after he reports on violence against protesters of the country's presidential election, as well as giving a satirical interview with Jason Jones of The Daily Show.[9] While his pregnant fiancée waits for him, Bahari spends 118 days at Evin Prison being brutally interrogated.[10]

Bahari is usually blindfolded while being interrogated, and his interrogator's sole distinguishing feature is that he smells of rosewater.

Cast

Production

Rosewater was filmed in Jordan, with footage from Iran,[14] between June and mid-August 2013. It had a budget of $5–10 million.[4] [5] [15] [16]

Release

On July 31, 2014, it was announced that the film would be released on November 7, 2014.[17] The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 29, 2014,[18] and it was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014.[19]

Reception

Box office

Rosewater grossed $3.2 million.[5]

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $1.2 million from 371 theaters, finishing 13th at the box office.[20]

Critical reception

Rosewater received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 76%, based on 155 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "Timely, solidly acted, and unabashedly earnest, Rosewater serves as an impressive calling card for first-time director Jon Stewart."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Howard Shore Scoring Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater'. Film Music Reporter. August 15, 2014. June 10, 2014.
  2. Web site: Open Road Acquires Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater' With Fall Release Planned . Mike . Fleming . . May 12, 2014. July 19, 2014.
  3. Web site: ROSEWATER (15) . . November 26, 2014 . November 26, 2014.
  4. Web site: Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater' underwhelms at box office . CNN Money . November 28, 2014.
  5. Web site: Rosewater (2014). The Numbers. August 13, 2015.
  6. News: McClintock. Pamela. Toronto: Jon Stewart to Pitch 'Rosewater,' Share First Footage. September 13, 2013. The Hollywood Reporter. September 3, 2013.
  7. Web site: Iranian State TV Targets Jon Stewart for Directing Movie 'Commissioned by His Masters'. Josh . Feldman. 5 December 2013. 16 December 2013. Mediaite.
  8. Web site: Jon Stewart, CIA superspy? Iranian TV creates new 'Zionist' conspiracy. Douglas . Ernst. Washington Times. 5 December 2013. 16 December 2013.
  9. Web site: Rosewater (2014) . imdb.com . 2014 . 19 July 2014.
  10. What Is Rosewater, the Movie Taking Jon Stewart Away from The Daily Show?. Lily . Rothman. 6 March 2013. Time.
  11. Web site: The Bridge's Kim Bodnia: 'Darkness, misery, evil – we do them best' . Stuart . Jeffries . The Guardian . January 31, 2014 . July 19, 2014.
  12. News: Snider . Eric D. . Telluride 2014: Jon Stewart's "Rosewater" Is a Fine First Film, But That's About It . . 2014-09-01.
  13. Web site: Awards Profile: Rosewater. AwardsCircuit.com - By Clayton Davis. 14 November 2014.
  14. Web site: Parts of Jon Stewart's new movie 'Rosewater' actually filmed in Iran. 8 February 2015.
  15. Web site: Rosewater: everything we know so far about Jon Stewart's new movie . 2014-08-30 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20221202020910/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/aug/30/rosewater-jon-stewart-movie-telluride-festival . 2022-12-02 . live .
  16. News: Siegel. Tatiana. Jon Stewart Movie: Salary Issues Complicate Gael Garcia Bernal Casting. September 13, 2013. The Hollywood Reporter. June 12, 2013.
  17. Web site: Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater' Gets November 7 Release Date . Deadline Hollywood . July 31, 2014 . August 1, 2014.
  18. Web site: Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater' Enters The Oscar Conversation At Telluride Film Festival - Deadline. Pete Hammond. Deadline Hollywood. 30 August 2014 . 14 November 2014.
  19. Web site: Toronto Film Festival Lineup . 22 July 2014 . Variety. 22 July 2014 .
  20. Web site: Weekend Box Office November 14-16, 2014 Weekend . Box Office Mojo . April 15, 2015.
  21. Web site: Rosewater . . October 5, 2022.
  22. Web site: Rosewater Reviews . . 22 November 2014.