On the heels of its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, Open Road has released the first trailer for Jon Stewart‘s directorial debut “Rosewater.”
Gael Garcia Bernal plays Maziar Bahari in the true life tale based on Bahari’s own experiences when he was sent by Newsweek to cover the 2009 Presidential election in Iran. When Bahari began asking too many questions about the election results and capturing too many of the protests in the streets on camera, he was accused of being a spy and thrown into prison for 118 days, where he’s put through severe interrogation techniques.
Also read: ‘Rosewater’ Review: Jon Stewart Gets Earnest With a Real-Life Story of Middle East Brutality
His torturer, known as “Rosewater” for his scent, questions him on everything from who he’s working for to who Anton Chekov is and why he has him listed as an interest on Facebook. But no matter how much he’s put through, the trailer contends that Bahari never lost hope and found ways to keep his humanity.
The first reviews have also started trickling in for the potential Oscar contender, with TheWrap’s Steve Pond calling it “smart and affecting, but not quite as sharp as you might expect.”
Also read: ‘Rosewater,’ ‘Birdman’ and ‘Wild’ Headed to Telluride Film Festival
“Rosewater” will be out in limited theaters on Nov 7.