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So you didn't land the world premiere of Rosewater. Not even the North American premiere, actually. So what if the story is about an Iranian-Canadian journalist. And big deal that everyone is curious about what Jon Stewart brings to his first film as writer and director.
This is not a super sarcastic set-up from The Daily Show (those can be extremely dangerous, after all). After seeing the picture, there's no sense losing sleep over the fact that you made us thesecond (gasp!) audience to see this film.
It won't be hard for journalists to get excited about the tale of Mazir Bahari. The film does a great job of lauding the dangerous risks that the press faces abroad. Especially since the film does so without ever becoming saccharine or sanctimonious. On the other hand, there isn't enough going on at a plot level to warrant such a big production (a good metaphor for the Bahari's imprisonment, actually). Because footage from The Daily Show was used to accuse Bahari of being a U.S. spy, I understand why Stewart felt a need to make the film. I'm just not sure many other's will feel the need to see it—especially once the novelty wares off.
Sincerely,
Christopher
