One of the strengths of Sattler’s screenplay is his refusal to make this a straightforward drama about enemies, injustice or dehumanizing persecution. He makes it about empathy, and in doing so broadens the intimate story to find thematic universality.
With its painfully plain-spoken conflicts and eventually oversold gestures of kindness, Camp X-Ray may offer frustratingly little insight into the hazy world of wartime morality, but if nothing else, it suggests that Stewart may escape her own “Twilight”-shaped prison yet.
Camp X-Ray tem uma proposta interessante, arriscada e nos leva a refletir sobre muitas coisas.
Desde o principio, o filme tenta construir sua personagem principal, e devo dizer que estou surpreso aqui. Como qualquer pessoa que já assistiu algum filme da saga crepúsculo, é completamente natural que haja um certo tipo de preconceito. Mas ainda bem que isso não comprometeu minha experiencia, já que Kristen Stewart entrega o necessário para que a personagem evolua na trama. Pontos como Insegurança, medo, exclusão social, ceticismo as próprias crenças, adaptação ao lugar - e seu próprio modus operandi que leva facilmente a loucura para ambos os lados, excitando ainda mais um ódio mutuo - foram bem abordados pelo roteiro e pela própria interpretação da Stewart. A mesma deixa a desejar em algumas cenas que exigem um retorno mais dramático, mas nada que deslegitime todo o seu trabalho. A trama gira em torno de dois personagens: Amy Cole [Nova no meio Militar] e Ali Amir [Detento há 8 anos]. A relação dos dois é muito bem estruturada ao redor do filme, seja com diálogos de humanização, planos comparando a rotina de ambos, ou até situações constrangedoras. Devo dar um certo destaque a direção, pois muito aqui é dito apenas com a cinematografia.
A discussão sobre os métodos penitenciários é válida, e o contraste inicial sobre a convenção de genebra e o uso da palavra "detentos" é muito interessante para entendermos a mentalidade de muitos militares que estão por ai. Também entra em debate a mudança de comportamento em grupos sociais - e as possíveis consequências de quem se nega a vender seus valores - e até mesmo as razoes, até então obscuras, do estado prendendo pessoas por possíveis ligações com grupos terroristas que muitas vezes não existem. Ao que tudo indica, o Amir era inocente e mesmo que ele fosse embora, um histórico de 8 anos numa prisão já era o suficiente para acabar com sua vida.
For much of its running time, Camp X-Ray stands as the fullest on-screen imaginative treatment of two of the defining developments of the last 15 years of American life: the deployment of women in our volunteer army, and the indefinite detention of men we think, but can't quite prove, deserve it.
First-time writer-director Peter Sattler keeps things glum and unsentimental, then tosses it all up in the air with a syrupy ending that derails everything. On another movie, the high-corn finale might have worked; here, it just feels patently false.
Camp X-Ray never makes the bond between this particular woman and this particular prisoner feel genuine or organic. Their relationship (platonic, obviously) smacks more of screenwriter contrivance than of two put-upon souls finding each other under duress.
Peter Sattler's film feels quintessentially Sundance: an expensively mounted treatise on important issues that's terrified to dig in obsessively, yet so ramrod-stiff with indignation that it never comes anywhere near compelling entertainment.
Right from the beginning events of the scenes are poorly intensified.
It was a one sided narration, that is really a very bad for this kind of sensitive theme. But the prime intention was to bring the Guantanamo Bay detention camp's atrocity on the detainees by the US military. Well, it actually avoids those strong cruelties, and focuses the unusual relationship between a detainee and a woman guard.
Limited cast, shot mostly in a single location with the budget of just one million USD, and an ordinary opening, but ended strong. I assumed a lot of things likely to happen while I was watching. Like Amy Cole (Kristen Stewart) was in undercover, to make detainees talk and collect the information. Because she was the only woman around, but as usual like most of the time I was wrong. It was so plain and filled with human emotions.
I was strong and confident that they were just torturing the terrorists who deserved it. If you see it from the human perspective that was slightly a over-limit, only if you exclude their crimes. I just felt it was a propaganda to show US in a bad light. That is the reason it will not show terror strikes in the movie that committed by any of the detainee characters, but only the consequences they face.
A Hollywood movie specially made to make feel good for the terrorists and those who support it. Okay, I agree, some were innocents. While fishing, a few other marine animals also gets trapped in the net as well, for that I feel sorry what happened to them. But 95% of them were heartless monsters. Everyone will have their own opinion on this film based on their religion, nationality or sympathetic for simply being a human, and everything are fair.
6/10
Camp X-Ray is the first feature from Peter Sattler, who takes on writing and directing after many years as graphic designer for several notable films (Walk The Line, The Game Plan, Star Trek, Take Me Home Tonight). Entirely set in Guantanamo, the U.S. prison in Cuba, the story revolves around the unusual relationship between Cole, a rookie guard played by Kristen Stewart, and Ali, a suspected terrorist played by A Separation’s star Payman Maadi. Cold and indifferent, Cole doesn’t immediately get on well with Ali, who bothers her from the very beginning. Their quarrel over the presence of a Harry Potter book in the prison’s library is an original (although quite lenghty) device to introduce the two characters and set the premises for their relationship; it is also one of the few striking sequences in the film. Despite Sattler’s meticulous and researched approach to creating a plausible and realistic prison, Guantanamo is nothing but a setting for the conflict between the two main characters.
This choice creates two issues that drastically impair the film. The first issue regards the oddity of dealing with highly controversial Guantanamo Bay with a detached point of view. The U.S. prison is the elephant in the room that Sattler chooses to ignore; by his own admission, he didn’t want to alienate half of the audience by taking a position pro or against it. The film fails to address the very context it’s set in, creating a forced, unsatisfactory void. The second issue concerns the casting. Whereas Maadi is a flexible and engaging actor, Kristen Stewart hasn’t yet fully matured since her Twilight years. Much of the dissatisfaction left by the film is due to her credibility as lead actress, especially in the main storyline and her exchanges with Ali, but also in the subplot involving her army superiors. For a film that bets so much on characters, Camp X-Ray hits the mark only partially.
I find it quite amazing that they can stretch out a film into something engaging, when it revolves nothing more than guards pacing up and down 8 detainee cubicles. Its insightful as to how these "prison" camps operate. Granted that Kristen Stewart is the star of the show, but I think Peyman Moaardi acted better. Kristen looks sweet as ever, but wasn't really able to make the final scene as touching as possible. Its a slow-moving but realistic movie. It could have been more, but ultimately unable to expand on some ethical issues. For a lazy afternoon, this movie is a good watch.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi on traduit (et ça arrive plus souvent qu'on ne croit) le titre original (anglais) par un autre titre... anglais ! ça rime à quoi ? alors qu'il suffisait d'appeler ça "la gardienne" par exemple. Ou bien, l'on n'avait qu'à garder le titre d'origine (Camp X-ray) ! Bon, "la gardienne", c'est pas forcément très adapté : on va croire qu'elle sort les poubelles... "la matonne" alors (même si ça n'existe pas en fait) mais ça fait "inclusif" et c'est tendance. Comme l'angélisme et l'auto-flagellation surtout lorsqu'on vit dans un pays occidental. Les gens de gauche disent même que c'est obligatoire.
Parce que la fille qui surveille les détenus de Guantanamo, elle se sent coupable : cette prison est affreuse, on y garde les terroristes depuis des années et ce terroriste-là, il est "innocent". Puisqu'il te le dit, ma bécasse, c'est que c'est vrai ! Au moins, Kristen Stewart et son air ahuri se prête parfaitement au jeu et à la mollesse de son "personnage", une soldate de gauche et du vivre ensemble (faites des bisous, pas la guerre, la guerre, c'est sale...).
Et pourtant, elle s'est fait chier dessus (littéralement) par son petit pote le terroriste... mais que voulez-vous, la cruche est tombée amoureuse du terro, c'est comme ça. Tout le film est comme ça ou presque. Sauf à un moment donné (quand même) lorsqu'un collègue essaie de lui remettre les neurones en phase. En vain.
On devrait l'envoyer en stage auprès des familles des victimes du 11 septembre. Ou peut-être, je dis bien peut-être, faudrait-il qu'elle aille faire un tour à Ground Zero. Il y a des noms là-bas, des milliers de noms...
Ce film est donc une insulte et un manque de respect : une flagornerie insupportable à l'égard des terroristes assassins. Et elle est dans l'armée, cette greluche, cette nouille ? on engage des filles comme ça dans l'armée américaine, vous croyez ? ça me ferait mal !
Incroyable de voir une daube pareille en tout cas. Pleine de lenteurs d'ailleurs, naïve et angéliste, navrante et lamentable. Ah j'ai trouvé un bon titre français pour ce "film" ! ce sera La Collabo.