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Rosewater

Play trailer Poster for Rosewater R 2014 1h 43m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 153 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In June 2009, BBC journalist Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-born Canadian citizen, returned to his native country to interview Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the prime challenger to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When Moussavi's supporters protested Ahmadinejad's declaration of victory, Bahari smuggled footage of the riots to the BBC. He was soon arrested by the Revolutionary Guard and -- led by a man known only as "Rosewater" -- was interrogated and tortured for 118 days.

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Rosewater

Rosewater

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Critics Consensus

Timely, solidly acted, and unabashedly earnest, Rosewater serves as an impressive calling card for first-time director Jon Stewart.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online 09/01/2017
D+
The rest of the film is...kinda all over the place. Go to Full Review Jason Bailey Flavorwire 06/07/2016
We rarely get the sense that Stewart is talking down to us - which is why it's such a disappointment that 'Rosewater', is so often pitched and played like a carefully dumbed-down TV movie. Go to Full Review Mark Kermode Observer (UK) 05/10/2015
3/5
The story is engrossing and enraging, and Stewart takes care to remind us that the real victims of oppressive regimes are those who live with them on a daily basis. Go to Full Review Hosea Rupprecht Pauline Media Studies 08/12/2021
In addition to being a commentary on hope, Rosewater joins other films on journalism that illustrate the sacrifices made by professional journalists in search of the truth. Go to Full Review Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site 02/26/2021
Stewart has consistently demonstrated there is nothing genuinely non-conformist or oppositional about him. Go to Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse 02/02/2021
3/5
The movie is very straightforward but does bring sincerity and emotion to the film but the over-all "never give up" message seems trite given the backdrop of the story. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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michelle l @kacz67 08/23/2020 Very accurate depiction of Iran's imprisonment of British reporter. Well paced, good dialogue, well acted. See more 04/27/2020 Rosewater is a good first directorial debut from Jon Stewart. The film is well acted with a good script but if you know what happens at the end of the script offers little surprises. I also feel the movie focused a little bit too much on the interrogation scenes which almost seem to last forever. Still it’s a good first effort and a meaningful film. See more ari v @RT59419633 03/13/2020 Took me a while to see the film that perhaps I felt took my favourite political pundit at the time, away from me. But it really is excellent. And all too prophetic of American elections to come. Whether intentionally or unintentionally. See more s r @ScottR 09/23/2018 A story to tell, but not told especially well in the second half. See more nilufer e @Nilicim 12/16/2017 It was a realistic movie about a true story that we are very familiar with here in Turkey. I was also glad to see our Haluk Bilginer in the movie too. It was good but too uneventful for me. See more 07/11/2017 Well acted, but lacked the emotional punch of the source material. Also Gael García Bernal doesn't seem like the right actor to play a Persian. See more Read all reviews
Rosewater

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Cast & Crew

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Jon Stewart

Director

Gael García Bernal

Maziar Bahari

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Moloojoon

Golshifteh Farahani

Maryam

Dimitri Leonidas

Davood

Haluk Bilginer

Baba Akbar

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Rosewater

Rosewater (2014) A scene from "Rosewater." Gael García Bernal as Maziar Bahari in "Rosewater." Rosewater (2014) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In June 2009, BBC journalist Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-born Canadian citizen, returned to his native country to interview Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the prime challenger to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When Moussavi's supporters protested Ahmadinejad's declaration of victory, Bahari smuggled footage of the riots to the BBC. He was soon arrested by the Revolutionary Guard and -- led by a man known only as "Rosewater" -- was interrogated and tortured for 118 days.
Director
Jon Stewart
Producer
Scott Rudin, Jon Stewart, Gigi Pritzker
Screenwriter
Jon Stewart
Distributor
Open Road
Production Co
Odd Lot Entertainment
Rating
R (Some Crude References|Language|Violent Content)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 7, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.1M
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital