Jodie Foster plays the lawyer Nancy Hollander who will do everything possible to defend the Convict Mohamedou Ould Slahi played by Tahar Rahim (Photo STX Entertainment)
(CNN Spanish) -
Based on real events, the tape "The Mauritanian" shows what Mohamedou Ould Slahi lived in Guantánamo prison for 14 years.
Zona Pop CNN spoke with Jodie Foster, the Oscar-winning actress and Golden Globe nominee in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Movie, and with the newly nominated actor for the Golden Globe, Tahar Rahim, both nominated for the tape «The Mauritanian».
LOOK: Golden Globes 2021: see the full list of nominees
Jodie Foster plays lawyer Nancy Hollander, while Rahim plays Mohamedou Ould Slahi.
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"The Mauritanian" based on a true story
"The Mauritanian" is based on the book "Guantanamo Diary" in which Mohamedou Ould Slahi recounts his memoirs after spending 14 years imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba without being charged with any crime.
“What you see in the movie is what happened to Mohamedou.
What he went through is summarized, but what happened is worse than that because it lasted 14 years.
He went through a lot, from torture to hallucinations.
He lost weight and it was very hard for him, ”says Tahar Rahim, a French actor of Algerian origin.
"The Mauritanian" is based on the book "Guantanamo Diary" in which Mohamedou Ould Slahi recounts his memories after spending 14 years imprisoned at the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba.
Jodie Foster plays her lawyer and Tahar Rahim plays the convict in question.
(Photo STX Entertainment)
Is "The Mauritanian" a tape about Guantanamo or 9/11?
Although the story begins with the arrest of Mohamedou for his possible participation in the attacks on the Twin Towers, the plot takes an unexpected turn and shows the lack of Human Rights in the Guantánamo Naval Base that functions as a prison
According to Foster, it is the story about Mohamedou: “It is really a story about the life of Mohamedou.
He was abducted from his home, taken to foreign countries and interrogated and tortured sexually and psychologically for many years.
“Through all that fear and terror, he did not let his humanity break.
She is a vulnerable, open, happy, loving person who forgives, that is amazing to me ”, adds the actress.
What was it like meeting the real Mohamedou Ould Slahi for Tahar Rahim?
The actor responds: “Excellent!
It was a great moment.
He was kind, fun and full of life, which was surprising knowing what he had been through.
We talked about the torture he went through.
I watched him to learn more about him and took the opportunity to spend time with him and tried to catch his spirit.
The challenges of playing a real character
Jodie Foster has to her credit two gold Oscar statuettes.
The first for her performance in the 1989 film "The Accused" (The Accused) and the second for the role of Clarice Starling in "Silence of the Lambs" (The silence of the innocents).
Of all the films in which she has participated as an actress, only in two has she given life to real life characters, one of them, the lawyer Nancy Hollander in "The Mauritanian."
“I never wanted to play a real-life character because I never found a movie where… I felt like the story itself was well crafted.
I was very lucky, because Nancy Hollander is full of contradictions, she loves her red painted nails, her red lipstick and motor racing.
However, it is this lawyer with great experience and prestige ”.
For Tahar Rahim, playing a real character deserves more respect than a fictional one, as is the case of giving life to Mohamedou Ould Slahi: “I pay more attention to him and I feel more responsible, in the end, he's still alive.
He has been through all that and was afraid of not portraying him as he should be or disappointing or belittling him. "
"The Mauritanian" opens in the United States on February 12.
In Latin America, there is still no confirmed date.
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