"Kurnaz - Fünf Jahre Leben" is a German movie from 3 years ago. It runs for approximately 90 minutes and was written and directed by Stefan Schaller. "Written" is only partially correct as the film goes back to the real events that happened to Murat Kurnaz when he was arrested and brought to Guantanamo Bay because they thought he was a Muslim terrorist, which is 100% not true. I must say this was a really convincing film. Of course, some scenes were included for dramatic purpose, but this is okay because this is exactly what they added: dramatic purpose. Those scenes made this film a better watch and there is still the reference that a lot of it took actually place like this. And apart from the really strong script, the film has another great strength: the acting. I believe Sascha Alexander Gersak delivers one of the finest performances I have seen from 2013 and it is nice to see him receive a German Film Award nomination. Unlucky for him that Didi Hallervorden gave a career-best portrayal the very same year. Ben Miles plays the officer in charge or questioning Murat at Guantanamo Bay and it is sad to see he did not get any recognition for his strong portrayal here. Both actors bring lots of shades to their characters as the script requested them to do. It is nothing at all like a good or bad / black or white scenario, but both characters have major depth. And this is what makes the film worth seeing so much. I mentioned the script earlier, but I want to say that there are torture scenes in here, but this should not come to anybody as a surprise given the subject. I personally found the emotional torture way harder to watch than the physical torture to be honest. The scenes about killing the lizard (his pet) were downright heartbreaking. As is Murat's story in general. I watched this film back then when it hit theaters and I saw it the second time today. It is as good a first watch as it is a rewatch. I highly recommend checking it out and I applaud everybody who worked on it, cast and crew.
Review of Five Years
