The Triumph of Camp X-Ray

After premiering at Sundance Film Festival in January to critical praise, Camp X-Ray, the directorial debut from writer/director Peter Sattler which stars Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi was picked up by IFC Films and released OnDemand, on iTunes, and Amazon Oct. 17.

Sattler opens the film with a shot of the Twin Towers up in smoke, which is then revealed to be current news on the television at Ali Amir's residence, played by Peyman Maadi (A Separation). Privately praying in his humble apartment, Ali suddenly has his head enveloped by a black bag and is whisked off on a boat, along with other visibly-and-audibly shielded men across the ocean. Sattler cuts to eight years later, where we follow Kristen Stewart's Army private first class Amy Cole who has just arrived to Camp Delta located at Guantanamo Bay, and stationed to guard the detainees. Informed by her superior that this is a war zone, the guards are put on suicide watch every 3 minutes. While she's just been briefed on the aggressiveness and manipulative nature of the detainees, and warned not to reveal any personal information, private Cole is the first in the group of new guards to volunteer. This solidifies her strength from our first introduction to Stewart's character. Unaware of the detainees' past actions, the fear in Stewart's face shows, yet this fear is coupled with a courageous intensity often found in Stewart's performances. 

Ali's first meeting with private Cole is through literature, as Cole has been assigned to handing out books from the cart to the detainees. Ali's been asking for the 6th installment of Harry Potter for the past 2 years to find out if Snape is actually a good guy or a bad guy, but to no avail. Ali, as played by Peyman Maadi, is ferociously yearning for conversation with another human, but is distrusting of all the guards at Guantanamo because of his treatment for the past 8 years. The omission of Ali's supposed crime is intentional, though knowing the reason for his detainment has no significance to the story Camp X-Ray is telling. Private Cole doesn't have anything to prove, even admitting she's not seeking a Silence of the Lambs moment with Ali. Yet Cole finds herself drawn to him. It's apparent early on that a connection between Ali and Cole has already been established, and the two form a friendship through the transparency of glass. Cole faces heat from her superior after having been seen acting friendly with a detainee, though she protects herself from dark forces which Snape himself had to deter. The story leads up to an intense Oscar-worthy scene provided by powerful performances by Maadi and Stewart.

Sattler makes sure his main characters are not subject to stereotype of the prisoner/outsider relationship. The director is subtle in his buildup (think Jarhead), and although Camp X-Ray may seem slow in pace, Sattler is conveying the monotony of not only being detained, but also of being the detainer. Two souls bond against an opposing atmosphere that tells them they should detest each other. This challenging role was made for Kristen Stewart - who shows unauthorized critics who have always doubted her undeniable skills as a knockout performer. Stewart effortlessly plays Cole like a subdued superhero. Her performance is met by Peyman Maadi's moving portrayal of a possibly innocent man confined to a life of judgement, craving to break suspicion and form a connection. X-Ray does just that. It is an examination; a closer look into the perspective of an Army private grappling with right and wrong. Through Ali and Cole, there is a joining of opposite sides. Not all fences are unshakable.