Camp X-Ray, 2014.
Directed by Peter Sattler.
Starring Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, John Carroll Lynch, Joseph Julian Soria and Cory Michael Smith.
SYNOPSIS:
A soldier assigned to Guantanamo Bay befriends a man who has been imprisoned there for eight years.
Camp X-Ray follows the story of Pvt. Amy Cole (Kristen Stewart) during her time as a guard in Guantanamo Bay. Unsure of what to expect in her new post and filled with a weight of responsibility following the 9/11 attacks, we watch on as she slowly realises that one the detainees may be the closest thing to a friend she’s ever had.
After a suitably bleak and oppressive opening, we pick up with our lead and it’s not quite the sort of introduction you might expect. We join her as she’s rushed through the base’s orientation before being thrown head first into her new duties and it’s once these early moments of excitement settles down that we really start to understand exactly what this films is all about. Simply put, this film isn’t like Homeland or Zero Dark Thirty with their explosions and spy-games, Camp X-Ray is about the crushing loneliness and monotony that you can expect from working in an institution like Guantanamo Bay.
After the opening of this film and from past experience watching these types of dramas, I was expecting this to be an incredibly heavy handed expose of how bad the conditions are at Guantanamo Bay. I was expecting violence, racism, sexism and moral indignation to be hurled at me from the get-go. Instead, what you get is an incredibly restrained piece of cinema that slowly allows you to make your own judgements about the camp and those who run it.
However this isn’t a film about the politics of the base, the war on terror or anything quite as grand as that. This is a film about two lonely people and their day to day existence in a placed that encourages isolation as well as the distinction between guards and detainees.
From the offset, Pvt. Cole and Ali’s relationship starts off as you’d expect. She’s trying to maintain her authority by acting stern and detached, while he constantly challenges the authority of the guards with his incessant questions and rebellious acts. It swiftly develops though when Cole begins to relax into her new environment and begins to respond to Ali’s numerous questions about Harry Potter and the outside world, eventually leading them both to a deeper understanding of the other as the months roll on.
Without overstating it, Stewart and Maadi are far and away the best things about this film. They manage to play this relationship with a tenderness and raw honesty that is both wonderfully bewildering and always believable.
Having never been a fan of Stewart, she surprised me in this picture with her tenderness and simplicity. I was expecting another wooden and tedious performance but she manages to show a vulnerability that is both beguiling and heart-wrenching.
The real star of the film though is Maadi. He manages to make Ali sympathetic, combative, melancholic and righteous all while never giving you any real detail about his supposed crime or past. It’s a truly impressive turn that should be lauded and praised for managing to take what could have been an unlikeable character and mould it into something quite wonderful.
Another remarkable thing about Camp X-Ray is that it manages to achieve a tone that is both sombre and sparkling at the same time. We flit between moments of incredible tension and sadness to flashes of warmth and levity that give you some much needed respite. One scene in particular is especially brilliant. Close to tears yet unable to cry because of the knife-edge tension, you feel utter relief as the scene ends before a wave of sadness flows over you – truly a remarkable feat for just five minutes of the film.
All in all, this film manages to put you through the emotional grinder without ever feeling forced or heavy-handed. An excellent cast supported by a wonderful script and perfectly crafted pacing makes this film truly remarkable and an absolute must-see.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Ozzy Armstrong is a Stargate and Rocky superfan. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published September 29, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
