Slahi does not want to revive the worst moments of his imprisonment so he has avoided watching the most traumatic scenes in the film. However, now that his book has been turned into a feature film, he thinks it is a clear example of the pen being more powerful than the sword. “I don’t believe in violence but my whole story was violence against my body, my innocence, my family members and I never did anything for the US,” he says. says. “My film is an effect for nonviolence, a pen is an effect.”
The truth is, however, that while many films, documentaries, TV shows, books and news reports have revealed the reality of the prison camp, it is still open. The Obama administration promised to close and did not succeed. Now President Biden has said he aims to close it before his first term ends. So with a new president in the Oval Office, could The Mauritanian be a Guantánamo Bay film to call the end of the reservation?
Rahim wants audiences to take away the message of “hope and forgiveness over anger,” while Eviatar says, “any films that show Guantánamo’s tragedy, the non- fair and often grim that many men ended up there and thus pressuring the U.S. government to shut it down, is doing a good service. ”
Slahi, who still refuses to enter the US and UK five years after his release from Guantanamo Bay without compensation or apology, hopes the film will show the Western world that he be an innocent man and that the negative attitudes about the Middle East and the citizens of North Africa must end.
“I want people on my side to know the story [and] I feel humbled that he was made a master mover, “he says.” I have no weapons, no police. I don’t have drones to take people out but I have the words and I want to debate negative independence [towards] Arab and African worlds. We cannot take them captive; we cannot be tortured. “
The Mauritianian is now in select cinemas in the US, and will be available on request there from March 2nd.
Love movie and TV? Come together BBC Film and TV Club Culture on Facebook, a worldwide cinema community.
If you want to comment on this story or anything else you’ve seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.
And if you liked this story, sign up for the bbc.com weekly newsletter, known as The Essential List. A selection of handcrafted stories from BBC Future, Culture, Working Life and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.