The Mauritanian

The Mauritanian is an upcoming legal drama film directed by Kevin Macdonald from a screenplay written by M.B. Traven, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.[2] The film is based on the 2015 memoir, Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Salahi, a true story of Salahi's experience of being held for fourteen years without charge in Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The film stars Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley and Benedict Cumberbatch.

The Mauritanian
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKevin Macdonald
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • M.B. Traven
  • Rory Haines
  • Sohrab Noshirvani
Story byM.B. Traven
Based onGuantanamo Diary
by Mohamedou Ould Salahi
Starring
Music byTom Hodge
CinematographyAlwin H. Küchler
Edited byJustine Wright
Production
companies
  • Topic Studios
  • Black Sheep Pictures
  • Convergent Media
  • Oak Street Films
  • SunnyMarch
  • Wonder Street
  • 30West
  • BBC Film
Distributed bySTXfilms
Release date
  • February 12, 2021 (2021-02-12) (United States)
  • February 26, 2021 (2021-02-26) (United Kingdom)
Running time
129 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Language
  • English
  • Arabic
  • French
Budget$14 million

The Mauritanian is set to be released in the United States on February 12, 2021, and in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2021, by STXfilms. It received mixed reviews, but the performances by Jodie Foster and Tahar Rahim were praised. They received nominations at the 78th Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, respectively.

Premise

The film follows Mohamedou Ould Salahi (Rahim), who is captured by the U.S. government and is languishing in Guantanamo Bay detention camp claiming falsely without charge or trial. Pretending to lose all hope, Salahi finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Woodley). Together, they face countless obstacles in a desperate pursuit for justice. Their controversial advocacy, along with fabricated evidence uncovered by formidable military prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Cumberbatch), eventually reveals a shocking and far-reaching conspiracy without any evidence.[3]

Cast

Production

The film was announced in November 2019. Kevin Macdonald signed on as director, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim and Shailene Woodley cast to star. Filming began December 2 in South Africa.[3] In December 2019, Zachary Levi joined the cast of the film.[4]

The film was originally known as Guantánamo Diary in its early development stages,[5] and as Prisoner 760 during production,[3] before being described as untitled in post-production.[6] In November 2020, the title was revealed to be The Mauritanian.[7]

Release

In August 2020, STX Entertainment acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. STX International will release the film in the United Kingdom and Ireland and pre-sold the international distribution rights at the American Film Market in November 2019.[6] The film will be released in the United States on February 12, 2021.[7]

Reception

Critical response

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 62% approval rating based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Mauritanian takes a frustratingly bland approach to a real-life story that might have been inspirational in other hands, but Tahar Rahim's performance elevates the uneven material."[8] According to Metacritic, which sampled eight critics and calculated a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, the film received "mixed or average reviews".[9]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Globe Awards February 28, 2021 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Tahar Rahim Pending [10]
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Jodie Foster Pending
London Film Critics' Circle Awards February 7, 2021 Film of the Year The Mauritanian Pending [11]
Director of the Year Kevin Macdonald Pending
Actor of the Year Tahar Rahim Pending

References
  1. Rooney, David (January 12, 2021). "The Mauritanian: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  2. "The Mauritanian (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  3. D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 1, 2019). "Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim & Shailene Woodley Board 'Prisoner 760', STX Launching At AFM". Deadline.
  4. Kit, Borys (December 27, 2019). "Zachary Levi Joins Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch in Drama 'Prisoner 760' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  5. Busch, Anita (April 11, 2016). "Benedict Cumberbatch Comes Aboard 'Guantanamo Diary' As Producer". Deadline magazine. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 3, 2020). "Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim & Shailene Woodley Legal Thriller Stateside Rights Go To STX". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  7. Davis, Clayton (2020-11-23). "Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim Make Late Entry Into Awards Race With STX Films' 'The Mauritanian' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  8. "The Mauritanian (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  9. "The Mauritanian Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  10. Oganesyan, Natalie; Moreau, Jordan (February 3, 2021). "Golden Globes 2021: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  11. Ritman, Alex (January 12, 2021). "'Saint Maud' Leads London Critics' Circle Film Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
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