Rosewater Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Rosewater Blu-ray Movie Review

Not still fresh, not yet wilted.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 13, 2015

Rosewater, the first film written and directed by (now soon-to-be former) Comedy Central The Daily Show show host Jon Stewart, centers on the true story of Journalist Maziar Bahari's imprisonment in Iran on suspicions of espionage in the aftermath of the Middle Eastern nation's 2009 Presidential election and the subsequent mass demonstrations that followed the "re-election" of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Though a largely uneven film that's nowhere near as dark, gripping, and relevant as it might should have been, it's a fairly auspicious debut for Stewart. And it's one heck of a choice for a first film. Though not a technically demanding film -- this is a largely straightforward, simple affair that Stewart nevertheless efforts to "jazz up," rightly or wrongly, in his own way -- it is built on complex political intrigue and deeply personal struggles that strive to get to the hearts of the matters of deep-seeded political suspicion, wrongful imprisonment, and the toll such a lengthy confinement takes on the soul of an innocent man. None of these are explored to full, riveting, troubling, or wholly thoughtful conclusion, but the film certainly points in the right direction and signals the beginnings of what may very well become a successful career behind the camera for a man who has made a living in front of it.

Alone.

Maziar Bahari (Gael García Bernal) leaves his pregnant wife behind in London to return to his come country of Iran and cover for the Western magazine Newsweek that nation's 2009 presidential election, pitting sitting president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi. When Ahmadinejad wins the election and street protests erupt in response, Bahari is there to capture the event. But his reporting and a tongue-in-cheek interview he gave to American television land him in prison, his captors charging him with "working with the Americans and the Zionists (Jews) to destroy Iran's holy system of government." Bahari spends several months imprisoned, blindfolded during his interrogations, and agonizingly yearning to be set free while his wife grows ever closer to birthing their child.

Perhaps the biggest question surrounding Rosewater wasn't concerning the importance of its story and its reflection of real-life events but how a comedian, for all intents and purposes -- a man best known for his satirical and left-leaning view of the news on a television channel dedicated to comedy -- would fare not only as writer/director of a major Hollywood production but how he would handle a fictional retelling of a fairly sensitive, complex, and challenging piece of modern history. Stewart answers skeptics not resoundingly, but assuredly. The film certainly lacks in places, but it's a technically competent, occasionally enthralling, and subtly meaningful motion picture. It's a bit timid and tame, at times, absent the sort of constant, dark, and deep dramatic depth the story appears to demand. Yet it gets the point across, ofttimes effectively but sometimes a little wobbly as Stewart efforts to visually depict the sense of timelessness in confinement and pressure under questioning with quick, almost random cuts and jumps between people and places that prove more jarring than anything else and often take the viewer out of the film rather than pull audiences further in. Ultimately, however, the movie succeeds in building its case and telling its story but does so without a more evident, immediate sense of danger, intrigue, and depth expected of a story of this personal and political magnitude.

The film's somewhat spartan set pieces and simple production design -- beyond Stewart's questionable hops and skips -- help reinforce the idea of confinement, doubt, fear, and intimidation. From a purely technical perspective, the rather sterile and simple production suits the core story details well, as does Stewart's ability to create both an intimate and distant portrait of his protagonist, often at nearly the same time. Yet much of the success comes thanks to Gael García Bernal's strong performance as the imprisoned journalist who fights to keep his sanity while at the same time struggling to keep true to himself, his values, and the truth under harsh intimidation. While the film doesn't delve into Jack Bauer-style "intimidation and coercion by physical force," it does show a fairly troubling mental and emotional form of torture. Whether the film goes far enough, and dark enough, to rely serve a greater dramatic and cinematic purpose is up for debate, but even in this somewhat more timid approach, Bernal proves quite strong through the character's emotional arc and around all of the turmoil he faces throughout the course of the film.

Rosewater Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rosewater features a crisp and well-defined, if not a bit dark and flat, 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. Details are frequently exquisite, with facial textures in particular appearing extremely authentic and nuanced in close-up shots. The somewhat spartan yet mildly dingy cell in which Maziar Bahari is imprisoned sees some good wall textures and a nicely detailed old worn carpet. Colors aren't frequently vivid, but there is some commendable vibrance to yellow cabs, green signage, and a few other bits scattered in what is otherwise a somewhat dark and colorfully unimaginative picture. Black levels are generally strong and deep with only a mild push towards a brighter appearance. Flesh tones show no such wavering. Light noise is evident at times, but the image appears free of annoying bouts of banding or blockiness. Overall, this is a winner from Universal.

Rosewater Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rosewater features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that mostly comes up roses. Music is smooth and precise with a welcoming and even front end flow and supportive back channel presence. Instrumental clarity and detail are commendable. Light atmospherics define a few different scenes, whether mild background chatter, airport public address announcements, or a few more boisterous protest marches. A few bits of background gunfire pop with nice authority and authenticity. Generally, however, this is a dialogue-heavy film. The spoken word plays evenly and smoothly from the center.

Rosewater Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Rosewater contains an all-too-disappointing collection of meaningless extras. DVD and UV/iTunes digital copies are included in the Blu-ray case.

• Iran's Controversial Election (1080p, 0:48): An all-too-short and, therefore, rather superfluous piece that shares no critical information and should have been expanded upon or excised altogether.
• The Story of Maziar Bahari (1080p, 0:49): Another micro supplement that touches on the plot basics.
• Real Spies Have TV Shows (1080p, 0:49): The third short feature on the disc. This one mixes the world of hard journalism and television entertainment as depicted in the film.
• What Happens In New Jersey... (1080p, 0:51): Another brief piece that looks at some of the "sexualized" bits in the movie.
• A Director's Perspective (1080p, 0:51): Stewart discusses one of his favorite scenes.
• Previews (1080p): End of Watch, Side Effects, Homefront, Jobs, and Killer Elite.

Rosewater Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rosewater, first-time Writer/Director Jon Stewart's story of a 2009 Iran hostage saga, is a fairly strong, though occasionally uneven, picture. It's nowhere near as dark nor powerful as some might assume a movie of this nature to be or should be, but it manages the core narrative well enough, thanks largely to a quality lead performance from Gael García Bernal. It will be interesting to follow Stewart's career as he (presumably) makes the transition to film from television hosting duties. Rosewater is a fine start and all signs point to greater growth as Stewart hopefully continues along this career path. Universal's Blu-ray release of Rosewater delivers excellent video and audio. Unfortunately, the supplemental package is one of the most disappointing in recent memory, consisting of five throwaway featurettes that run less than a minute each and add nothing of value to the Rosewater experience. A Stewart commentary, an interview with the real Maziar Bahari, or some other, more substantive supplement(s) would have been most welcome. Recommended for purchase on a decent sale.