Camp X-Ray (film)

Camp X-Ray

Theatrical film poster
Directed by Peter Sattler
Produced by Gina Kwon
Written by Peter Sattler
Starring
Music by Jess Stroup
Cinematography James Laxton
Edited by Geraud Brisson
Production
company
GNK Productions
Gotham Group
Rough House Pictures
The Young Gang
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
Running time
 117 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1 million[2]
Box office $60,581[2]

Camp X-Ray is a 2014 American independent drama film based on the detention facility Camp X-Ray at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The film is the directorial debut of Peter Sattler who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi with John Carroll Lynch, Lane Garrison, and Joseph Julian Soria in supporting roles. The film premiered on January 17, 2014 at 2014 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. dramatic competition category[3] and released on October 17, 2014 by IFC Films.

Plot

The film begins with the September 11 attacks shown on television when Ali Amir (Peyman Moaadi), a Tunisian living in Bremen, arrives home and begins to perform salah when he is kidnapped and taken to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, specifically Camp Delta.

Eight years later, Army Private first-class Amy Cole (Kristen Stewart) is placed as a guard at Guantanamo. Upon arrival, she volunteers to the IRS and is cold towards the detainees, despite her contempt for the facilities handling of detainees. During her stay in the camp, Ali immediately notices Amy. Amy is annoyed by his questioning and ignores his advances, to which he angrily throws his feces at her one day. One night, Amy almost has sex with Corporal Randy Ransdell, who also takes an interest to Amy, but leaves after he is too aggressive.

The next day, Amy notices pamphlets to prevent suicide in Ali's cell while he is disciplined for his previous actions. She finds Ali's file and discovers that he has a history of self-harm and discipline, becoming more and more violent as time passed. She begins to interact more with Ali and a relationship forms.

Eight months later, Ransdell lies to Amy and ordere her to watch Ali shower, violating SOP and Arabic social norms. Upon discovering Ransdell lied, Amy files a report to her commanding officer, Colonel James Drummond. Drummond talks to Ransdell who makes (unspecified) counter-accusations and both enlisted must attend boards of inquiry (not shown nor later referred to). One night, near the end of Amy's tour at Guantanamo, Ali takes a blade hidden in his Quran and tries to commit suicide, but is talked down by Amy, who tells him her name and where she's from (violations of SOP). At this point, it is clear that her feelings towards the detainee have softened as she is distressed by the possibility of him dying. As Amy leaves Guantanamo teary eyed, Ali discovers the Harry Potter book he had been hoping for for over two years, finding she had written a note inside.

Cast

Production

On February 6, 2014, IFC Films announced their acquisition of the North American rights to the film.[6] Shooting Stars LLC acquired the rights to distribute the film in the United Arab Emirates. EDGE Entertainment will distribute Camp X-Ray in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.[7] The film was distributed in Lebanon and Iraq with an October 30, 2014 release date.

Filming

Production for Camp X-Ray took place in Los Angeles and Whittier, California.[8] Principal photography began on July 17, 2013 and ended in mid-August.[9][10] The location used for filming the prison scenes was the abandoned Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility in Whittier, California.[11]

Promotion and marketing

The film moved to post-production in late summer 2013. The special effects were edited by Comen VFX.[12] On December 5, 2013, it was announced that the film would premiere on January 17 at the Sundance Film Festival in the US Dramatic Competition category.[1] On July 3, 2014, ten new stills from the film were released.[13] IFC Films released the official trailer on August 8, 2014 on its YouTube channel.[14]

Camp X-Ray is rated R by the MPAA for language and brief nude images.[15] The film became available in select theaters and through video on demand services including iTunes Movies and Amazon.com Video starting October 17, 2014.[16] The film was also a selection for the Atlantic Film Festival, Deauville American Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Leiden International Film Festival, Hof International Film Festival, and the Stockholm International Film Festival.[17]

Camp X-Ray premiered with a special screening on October 6, 2014 in New York City.[18]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Camp X-Ray includes "Kettering" by The Antlers from Hospice.. The song "You There" by Aquilo is featured in the trailer released by IFC Films.

Jess Stroup's original score for the film soundtrack released through iTunes by Lakeshore Records on October 14, 2014.[19]

Reception

Camp X-Ray premiered at Sundance Film Festival with generally positive reviews, with specific praise of Stewart and Moaadi's performances.[20][21] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes indicates that 73% of 56 film critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating 6.4 out of 10. The critics consensus states: "Camp X-Ray's treatment of its subject verges on the shallow, but benefits greatly from a pair of impressive performances from Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi."[22]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review to the film, calling it "A somber but cogent drama that uses its setting as a provocative backdrop rather than a debate point" and praising the lead actors by saying that "Stewart, delivering perhaps her best screen work to date as an inexperienced military guard, against an equally compelling characterization from Maadi as the long-term detainee who pierces her shell."[23] Marlow Stern of The Daily Beast wrote, "by the end of Camp X-Ray, you're won over by Stewart's layered turn as Cole, and Maadi's as the defiant Ali. It's a role perfectly suited to her strengths—vulnerability and hidden courage—and few young actresses, with the exception of Jennifer Lawrence, can hold a close-up like Stewart."[24] Rob Nelson in his review of the film for Variety said that "Camp X-Ray is most commendable for believably depicting the U.S. military from a female's point of view" and that "The two leads (Stewart and Maadi) are excellent and play off each other deftly."[25] Scott Mendelson of Forbes wrote, "Kristen Stewart is engaging and Peyman Moaadi avoids the “noble savage” cliché with ease. The performances are stronger than the film which contains them, but since the picture is mostly a two-hander that’s not entirely a fatal flaw."[26] Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film three stars and praised Peter Sattler's direction, as well as Stewart and Maadi. Seitz wrote of Stewart that: "There are silent film-quality close-ups where you can read every fluctuation in her mood even though she’s barely moving a muscle. This is a true movie star performance." Seitz remarked that, "The relationship between Amy, a strong-silent type, and Ali, a chatterbox provocateur, has a ‘70s-movie feel."[27]

Xan Brooks of The Guardian gave the film two out of five stars, echoing praise for the acting, saying "Moaadi (so good as the shifty dad in the A Separation) is suitably anguished as Ali, while Stewart copes well as his pensive prison guard, constantly trying to act more tough than she is. It's a role that reminds us what a fine performer she was in the likes of Into the Wild and Adventureland", but criticized the film in general, saying "the supporting players are little more than equal opportunity stereotypes (frothing Islamists; brutish grunts), while the dialogue is a clatter of cookie-cutter exposition, intent on telling us everything but explaining very little".[28] Eric Kohn of Indiewire criticized the screenplay and direction by saying that "Sattler's frustratingly on-the-nose screenplay" and "It's a powerful assertion about the prospects of being trapped by misguided intentions, which sadly applies to Camp X-Ray itself" but ultimately praised Stewart's performance.[29] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a negative review by saying that "it’s also a flatly made movie" and said that Stewart was miscast in the role as "she has no toughness, no moxie, no callouses on her hide."[30]

Awards and nominations

Writer/Director Peter Sattler earned a nomination for a Humanitas Prize in the Sundance category.[31] Casting director Richard Hicks earned an Artios Awards nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Casting — Low Budget Feature — Drama.[32] The Women Film Critics Circle also nominated Kristen Stewart for Best Actress and the film for "Best Movie about Women."[33]

Box office

The film opened on October 17, showing in one theater in New York City. The film grossed $1,316. The film expanded to three screens in its second week and posted an increase of 134% of $3,480. As of November 9, the film has grossed $9,837.[2] The film also debuted on video on demand and rose to #12 in overall releases on iTunes. Camp X-Ray grossed $50,744 in the United Arab Emirates.[34]

References

  1. 1 2 "Camp X-Ray". Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Camp X-Ray - Box Office". Box Office Mojo. November 11, 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Sundance 2014 Competition Lineup Includes SKELETON TWINS with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, CAMP X-RAY with Kristen Stewart, and More". collider.com. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Kristen Stewart joins Guantanamo film 'Camp X-Ray'". digitalspy.co.uk. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Peyman Moaadi will star in the politically-charged indie drama". thewrap.com. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (6 February 2014). "IFC Acquires Kristen Stewart Guantanamo Bay Pic ‘Camp X-Ray’". deadline.com. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Camp X-Ray". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Kristen Stewart Starts Rehearsal For ‘Camp X-Ray’ With ‘Good Vibes’". hollywoodlife.com. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "‘Camp X-Ray’, starring Kristen Stewart, to begin filming in LA". onlocationvacations.com. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "Kristen Stewart Spott±ed on the Set of Camp X-Ray". comingsoon.net. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Camp X-Ray filming locations". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Camp X-Ray gets in the Sundance 2014 U.S. Dramatic Competition.". Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  13. ↑ JAGERNAUTH, KEVIN (July 3, 2014). "New Images From Kristen Stewart's Guantanamo Bay Drama 'Camp X-Ray'". indiewire.com. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Camp X-Ray - Official Trailer - HD - IFC Films". YouTube. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  15. ↑ Brad Brevet. "'Cinderella', 'Camp X-Ray', 'November Man' & 'Red Army' in Today's MPAA Ratings". Rope of Silicon. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Camp X-Ray (2014) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  17. ↑ "Welcome to BFI Southbank online". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  18. ↑ Suzy Evans. "Kristen Stewart on Gitmo's "Objective" Portrayal in 'Camp X-Ray': "It's Definitely Asking Questions"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  19. ↑ "‘Camp X-Ray’ Soundtrack Details - Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Marlow Stern (2014-01-18). "'Camp X-Ray,' A Kristen Stewart-Starring Guantanamo Bay Film, Premieres at Sundance". Daily Beast. Retrieved 2014-01-19. But, by the end of Camp X-Ray, you’re won over by Stewart’s layered turn as Cole, and Maadi’s as the defiant Ali. It’s a role perfectly suited to her strengths—vulnerability and hidden courage—and few young actresses, with the exception of Jennifer Lawrence, can hold a close-up like Stewart. |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)
  21. ↑ Jessica Herndon (2014-01-18). "Sundance premiere 'Camp X-Ray' uncovers prison life at Guantanamo Bay". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 2014-01-19. Retrieved 2014-01-19. Sattler originally intended Stewart's role for a male, but he shifted to a female lead because he felt it created more conflict between (Amy and Ali. "And Muslims' extremist relationship toward women also complicated (the story)," he said. "So I clicked into that."
  22. ↑ "Camp X-Ray (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Camp X-Ray: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  24. ↑ "‘Camp X-Ray,’ A Kristen Stewart-Starring Guantanamo Bay Film, Premieres at Sundance". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  25. ↑ "Sundance Film Review: ‘Camp X-Ray’". Variety. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  26. ↑ Scott Mendelson (11 September 2014). "Review: Kristen Stewart Shines In 'Camp X-Ray'". Forbes. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  27. ↑ Matt Zoller Seitz (17 October 2014). "Camp X-Ray". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  28. ↑ "Camp X-Ray: Sundance 2014 - first look review". The Guardian. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  29. ↑ "Sundance Review: Kristen Stewart Is Admirably Serious But Can't Salvage Mopey Gitmo Drama 'Camp X-Ray'". Indiewire. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  30. ↑ "Sundance 2014: Kristen Stewart as a Guantanamo guard? I didn't buy it". Entertainment Weekly. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  31. ↑ Variety Staff. "Humanitas Prize Sets Finalists For 40th Annual Writing Awards". Variety.
  32. ↑ The Deadline Team. "Casting Society’s Artios Awards Film Nominees – Full List - Deadline". Deadline.
  33. ↑ "The Homesman leads 2014 Women Film Critics Circle nominations". HitFix.
  34. ↑ "Camp X-Ray Foreign". Box Office Mojo.

External links

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