Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush

Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush
Film poster
German	Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush
Directed by	Andreas Dresen
Written by	Laila Stieler
Produced by	Claudia Steffen Christoph Friedel
Starring	Meltem Kaptan Alexander Scheer
Cinematography	Andreas Höfer
Edited by	Jörg Hauschild
Music by	Johannes Repka Cenk Erdoğan
Release dates	12 February 2022 (2022-02-12) (Berlinale) 28 April 2022 (2022-04-28) (German)
Running time	119 minutes[1]
Country	Germany
Languages	German Turkish English
Box office	$172,574[2]

Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush (German: Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush) is a 2022 German-French biographical film directed by Andreas Dresen which premiered in completion at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival on 12 February 2022. It is based on the true story of Murat Kurnaz, a young German of Turkish descent, who was unlawfully detained in Guantanamo Bay in 2001, and his mother's legal battle for his release.^[3]

Plot

The film follows the titular Rabiye Kurnaz, a Turkish housewife from Bremen, Germany, as she discovers her eldest son, Murat, has been detained in Pakistan by the United States government. He is held in Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Cuba, for over five years, during which the rather temperamental Rabiye and the more reserved human rights lawyer, Bernhard Docke, launch a legal dispute in his name.^[4]

Their campaign for a fair trial takes them all the way to the Supreme Court, finally securing Murat's release in 2006, after which it comes to light that the German government had attempted to prevent his return by revoking his right of entry.^[5] Murat has been systematically tortured during his extrajudicial detainment and, as of the film's airing, has yet to receive any form of compensation or apology for his treatment.^[6]

Cast

• Meltem Kaptan as Rabiye Kurnaz
• Mert Dincer as Cem Kurnaz
• Alexander Scheer as Bernhard Docke
• Charly Hübner as Marc Stocker
• Nazmi Kirik as Mehmet
• Sevda Polat as Nuriye
• Abdullah Emre Öztürk as Murat Kurnaz
• Şafak Şengül as Fadime
• Anthony Cook as Reporter

Release

The film had its world premiere in competition at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival on 12 February 2022.^[7] It had a limited international release in theaters beginning in Germany on 28 April 2022.^[8]

Reception

Box office

Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush grossed $0 in North America,^[8] and $172,574 in other territories.^[2]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on 6 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 5.8/10.^[9]

The film was compared to similar David-and-Goliath stories such as Erin Brockovich or The Blind Side.^[3] Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian criticised its often jovial tone,^[10] while other reviewers have praised its tendency toward lightheartedness in the face of such gruelling subject matter.^[6][11]

Accolades

Writer Laila Stieler and actor Meltem Kaplan received awards for best screenplay and best actress in a starring role respectively at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival.^[12]

The director, screenwriter, and cast of the film also received several nominations for the German Film Awards.^[13]

References

1. "Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush - | Berlinale". Berlinale. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
2. "Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
3. Kiang, Jessica (19 February 2022). "'Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush' Review: A Real-Life Injustice Remade as Light Comic Drama". Variety. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
4. "Pandora Film Produktion - RABIYE KURNAZ GEGEN GEORGE W. BUSH". Pandora Film. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
5. Mulvey, Stephen (16 February 2007). "CIA flights controversy here to stay". BBC News. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
6. Steinberg, Stefan (16 February 2022). "The "reality" of this year's Berlinale and Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
7. "Berlinale Programm 2022" (PDF). Berlinale. 7 February 2022. p. 18. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
8. "Rabiye (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
9. "Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
10. Bradshaw, Peter (13 February 2022). "Rabiye Kurnaz Vs George W Bush review – Guantánamo drama played for laughs". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
11. Landsberg, Torsten (15 February 2022). "Berlinale: Ex-Guantanamo inmate Murat Kurnaz' mother takes on former US president Bush". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
12. "Berlinale | Archive | Awards & Juries". Berlinale. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
13. "Berlinale 2022: rbb mit Koproduktion "Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush" von Andreas Dresen im Wettbewerb – sieben weitere rbb-Koproduktionen im Festivalprogramm". ebb (in German). 19 January 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.

External links

• Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush at IMDb