Rosewater

Courtesy of Open Road Films, Odd Lot Entertainment, and Busboy Productions

The story of Maziar Bahari's imprisonment begins in 2009 when Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones went to the politically torn country of Iran, to interview Bahari during the presidential elections. Bahari is an Iranian-Canadian journalist from Newsweek whose family had always been imprisoned for political and social taboos. The film shows the torment and utter agony Bahari was up against during his tenure in an Iranian prison.

 Fledgling director Jon Stewart took the summer of 2013 to make this film in the Middle East. Many people waited in earnest to see the first effort from the political comedian (who left his tenure as lead anchor of the show on August 6th.) Stewart definitely picked the right subject matter for his first film: it’s connected to his show, about a person who hadn't gotten enough attention in the media, and dealt in a subject that Stewart was passionate about. There's an obvious ardor for this project, reflected in the brazen cinematography, the emotional performance from Bernal, and the emotionally charged plot that ties back to Bahari's pregnant wife.

 Though a lot of this film is handled tactfully, and the information is factually correct, it's a very amateurish effort. Between the strange montages, the scenes of his sister reflected in storefront windows, and the weird choices in music that thread through some of the more dramatic scenes, this looks to be what it is: a first-time director figuring themselves out. The blind fold used adds some tension, but there's not the same level of secrecy and militancy as in more gripping films such as "Zero Dark Thirty."

Bahari couldn't have chosen a better advocate for a film about his life, but it is this same passion and loyalty that make for a clumsy and misguided watch. With Stewart now having left his post to go on and do bigger and better things, I hope there is room for more films, more passion projects, and a need to tell others stories. Even an amateur Jon Stewart is better than no Jon Stewart at all.