Despite the significant place that it occupies in popular culture, the September 11th attacks and the United States’ military reaction have inspired relatively few pieces of compelling media. Since there are more divergent political opinions regarding the intent and effectiveness of the war, it has been much harder to construe fictional narratives that point to obvious heroes and villains. However, this fascinating period in American history offers an intriguing opportunity for filmmakers to examine how infrastructural corruption, internalized xenophobia, and the culture of militarization lead to a tense series of international relations. The Mauritanian is an underrated historical film that examined the scapegoating of falsely accused 9/11 attackers and stands as one of the best political thrillers in recent memory.
What Is ‘The Mauritanian’ About?
The Mauritanian examines the immediate aftermath of the 2001 tragedy, in which American forces seize the Mauritanian man Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) on suspicion of helping to organize the attacks. Although progress stalls on Mohamedou’s case, the American lawyer Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) is hired by his family to investigate his imprisonment, as he has been held for several years in Guantanamo Bay. Once paired with her fellow legal professional Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley), Nancy begins to learn more about Mohamedou’s background, and begins to question why he has remained so silent during his extended stay in prison. It’s a case that also draws the attention of the veteran Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), who begins to question whether the information passed along to him by his superiors in the military was entirely accurate. As evidence of a conspiracy grows, Mohamedou is faced with the reality that he may never be able to reunite with his family again.
The Mauritanian does an impressive job of unraveling a controversial event, as it is able to examine the perspectives of the different key players involved. While Nancy’s initial reluctance to the case is understandable, as she has been presented with no evidence that would suggest her client is innocent, the film examines how false narratives about Mohamedou’s guilt allowed the government to suppress traditional legal agreements. The film examines how spending so much of his life behind bars resulted in severe mental health issues for Mohamedou, as he has learned to not trust anything that he has been told; this makes it even more emotional when the film flashes back to show the happy moments with his family before the tragedy unfolded. Although it's easy to associate military patriotism with a right-wing agenda, The Mauritanian uses Couch as an example of how those with honorable intentions are forced to question if the country that they represent has been entirely faithful to its founding documents.
‘The Mauritanian’ Examines the Complexity of Post-9/11 Politics
Although it was important to communicate a story of such importance, The Mauritanian is engaging as a legal thriller because of the excellent performances. While it is hardly the first time that Foster has played a tough, non-nonsense professional forced to be an underdog, her performance as Nancy is particularly inspiring because it shows how she was willing to risk professional backlash for the sake of doing the right thing. Cumberbatch doesn’t just do impressive accent work to transform into Couch, but perfectly captures the crisis of confidence that occurs when he recognizes the hypocrisy of many of his fellow military servicemen. However, it is certainly Rahim whose performance is so critical, as he is able to show how Mohamedou’s insistence on retaining his integrity caused a significant shift in public opinion regarding the war on terror, as he refused to deny his truth in order to appease a convenient narrative.
The Mauritanian is both inspirational and haunting, as while the exhilaration of seeing Mohamedou’s release after 15 years is quite powerful, the film suggests that the forces that caused his unjust incarceration are still active. The film shows a willingness to engage with the flaws of each of its protagonists, and shows awareness that the case that it is focused on will continue to have repercussions. Although the complex political ideology may make it an uncomfortable film to watch, The Mauritanian is nothing if not intensely thought-provoking.
