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Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush

2022 1h 59m Drama List
50% Tomatometer 6 Reviews
Murat is incarcerated in the U.S.' Guantanamo detention camp. Desperate to help her son, Rabiye Kurnaz, a housewife and loving mother from Bremen, goes to the police, notifies authorities and almost despairs at their impotence, until she discovers Bernhard Docke. The reserved, level-headed human rights lawyer and the temperamental Turkish mother -- now fighting side-by-side for Murat's release. Docke is patient, Rabiye is not. She'd actually prefer to be back home with her family but finds herself totally enmeshed in world politics. She goes with Bernhard to Washington, and right up to the Supreme Court to bring legal action against George W. Bush. Bernhard watches out for her. And Rabiye makes him laugh. With heart and soul. And in the end, against all the odds, something truly remarkable happens. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

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Jessica Kiang Variety A frustratingly baby-steps contribution to a social justice conversation that is too important, and too intricate, to be boiled down to a mother’s-love-conquers-all bromide. Feb 20, 2022 Full Review Anna Smith Deadline Hollywood Daily There are a few odd editing decisions, but the astonishing real-life twists keep up the momentum. And it’s hard not to be moved by this portrait of a woman who would stop at nothing to rescue her son. Feb 15, 2022 Full Review Jonathan Romney Screen International A sluggish, dramatically and visually inert piece that not long ago – before the dividing lines between cinema and TV were irreversibly blurred – would have been considered very much a TV-style offering. Feb 13, 2022 Full Review Alex Billington FirstShowing.net That's the beauty of Rabiye and this battle against the forces that be. The film sometimes feels like a Larry David comedy but so many of the scenes are entirely accurate, as a cautionary tale of political debauchery and governmental carelessness. Rated: 7.5/10 Dec 30, 2022 Full Review Ricardo Gallegos La Estatuilla Effective direction, light tone, and two outstanding performances allow the film to inform and entertain without falling into irresponsible territory. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 18, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews
Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush

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Movie Info

Synopsis Murat is incarcerated in the U.S.' Guantanamo detention camp. Desperate to help her son, Rabiye Kurnaz, a housewife and loving mother from Bremen, goes to the police, notifies authorities and almost despairs at their impotence, until she discovers Bernhard Docke. The reserved, level-headed human rights lawyer and the temperamental Turkish mother -- now fighting side-by-side for Murat's release. Docke is patient, Rabiye is not. She'd actually prefer to be back home with her family but finds herself totally enmeshed in world politics. She goes with Bernhard to Washington, and right up to the Supreme Court to bring legal action against George W. Bush. Bernhard watches out for her. And Rabiye makes him laugh. With heart and soul. And in the end, against all the odds, something truly remarkable happens.
Director
Andreas Dresen
Producer
Claudia Steffen, Christophe Friedel
Screenwriter
Laila Stieler
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Runtime
1h 59m