The Mauritanian

Mohamedou Ould Slahi was held at Guantanamo without charge from 2002 to 2016. He kept a diary in his cell; the manuscript stayed classified for years and when it was finally published much of it was blacked out. The film comes from that book. Kevin Macdonald builds it as a triangle: Slahi, his defence lawyer, and the military prosecutor on the other side. Making that third corner the most interesting thing in the film is the smart move, watching the prosecutor lose confidence in his own side as he reads the file. Tahar Rahim plays Slahi and was nominated for a Golden Globe, while Jodie Foster won one as the lawyer. Benedict Cumberbatch and Shailene Woodley are also in the cast. Rotten Tomatoes has 75 percent of 217 reviews positive, though the consensus calls the approach frustratingly generic, with praise going to the cinematography and direction and criticism to the screenplay. It took five BAFTA nominations including Best Film and Best Actor for Rahim. It opened in the United States on 12 February 2021, and in the UK went to Amazon Prime Video on 1 April because cinemas were closed. It grossed 7.5 million dollars worldwide. Who it is for: viewers who follow legal drama and the Guantanamo record. Who it is not for: anyone unprepared for the torture sequences. The film delays them and then hides nothing.