Camp X-Ray

America's infamous Guantanamo Bay (the titular Camp X-Ray) is at the center of writer-director Peter Sattler's drama starring Twilight star Kristen Stewart as a young Army recruit desperate to do “something important” with her life. The initial images thrust viewers back to the dark days of early post-9/11 America, before flash forwarding to 2009, well into George W. Bush's failed Iraq War. Telling an intensely personal and psychological story that is more about people than politics, the film follows Amy (Stewart), who is assigned all of the new-recruit dirty work (suicide watches, etc.) while monitoring the terrorist suspect detainees. One intelligent English-speaking inmate named Ali (Payman Maadi), who claims to be innocent and has a penchant for Harry Potter books, seems to want a genuine connection with Amy, while the latter makes fruitless attempts to keep herself distanced. Over time, a shaky kinship will form between the terror suspect and the green Army recruit, neither of whom have a clearly defined place in the world. Featuring a superb performance by Stewart, this powerful character study is recommended. (M. Sandlin)