Jon Stewart brings directing debut 'Rosewater' to Toronto Fest

As a nightly viewer of “The Daily Show,” I made it a priority to catch the first public screening at the Toronto Film Festival of Jon Stewart’s feature writing and directing debut, Rosewater. This is the movie that Stewart shot during his summer 2013 hiatus from his TV hosting duties, and a very commendable debut it is—not so much for its competent filmmaking but for the important story it tells.

Rosewater is based on Then They Came for Me, Iranian Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari’s account of his imprisonment on bogus charges of espionage soon after the equally bogus re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the protests that followed. Stewart had a personal connection to Bahari’s plight: A satirical “Daily Show” segment shot in Iran, in which correspondent Jason Jones jokingly called Bahari a spy, was a major factor in his arrest.

Introducing the film at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Stewart described it as “a universal story about the cost of oppression, not only to those oppressed but those who oppress them.” And indeed a large portion of the running time is taken up with the relationship between Bahari (played by Mexican star Gael Garcia Bernal) and his chief interrogator (Danish actor Kim Bodnia), known only as Rosewater for the fragrance he wears. It’s a physically and psychologically abusive relationship, to be sure, but also at times absurdly comical, as when Rosewater grimly asks him “Who is Anton Chekhov?” or becomes entranced by Bahari’s mischievous confession that he’s addicted to sexual massages (especially the ones in that American hotbed of massages, Fort Lee, New Jersey).

Rosewater is very well-acted and the location work in Jordan, doubling for Tehran, feels authentic. But a story like this is inevitably claustrophobic, and first-time filmmaker Stewart doesn’t yet have the visual resourcefulness to keep the narrative from feeling somewhat slack. (He does employ some CGI to illustrate the power of social media in igniting the Iranian protests and in calling attention to Bahari’s case.) Still, in this time when journalists, bloggers and video diarists are in more peril than ever, the message of Rosewater couldn’t be more urgent.

Onstage at the Princess of Wales with Bernal and Bahari, Stewart was like he is on “The Daily Show”—passionate about issues but ready with a good funny line. He joked that Canadians’ friendliness is “almost upsetting,” since it’s so easy to confuse with sarcasm. When Bahari mentioned that Bernal is Mexican, Stewart turned to the actor and shouted, “You lied to me!” Asked for any movie influences on his first directing effort, he offered, “I’m a big Ghostbusters guy.”

But seriously, folks… Stewart said his chief inspiration was Bahari’s memoir, and the way it found “absurdity in a bleak situation.” And he warned all authoritarian states: “Do not arrest journalists—they remember things.”

Bernal said he was honored to be chosen to interpret Bahari’s plight and to be part of the fight against “a big infrastructure to suppress and intimidate.”

Bahari reflected that an experience like his endows you with “a certain responsibility,” noting, “I was lucky that I was working for a Western news organization.” He reminded the audience that there are many other unknown journalists in prison without much hope of attracting the world’s attention. He cautioned that one person and even one film won’t change the world, but “collectively we can lend our voices.” Open Road Films releases Rosewater in the United States on Nov. 7.