The Interpreter
The Interpreter is a
2005 drama/
thriller film,
directed by
Sydney Pollack and starring
Nicole Kidman,
Sean Penn, and
Catherine Keener.
The film revolves around Silvia Broome (
Nicole Kidman), an interpreter working at the
United Nations in
New York, who was born in New York and raised in the
Democratic Republic of Matobo, Africa. The events depicted in the film span approximately one and a half weeks.
The United Nations is considering
indicting Edmond Zuwanie (
Earl Cameron), president of Matobo, to trial in the
International Criminal Court. Initially a liberator, over the past twenty years he has become as corrupt and tyrannical as the government he overthrew, and is now responsible for
ethnic cleansing and other atrocities within Matobo. Zuwanie is soon to visit the United Nations and put forward his own case to the
General Assembly, in an attempt to avoid the indictment.
A security scare forces the evacuation of the UN building, and Silvia returns at night to reclaim some personal belongings. At that time she overhears discussion of an
assassination plot, and runs scared from the building when those discussing the plot become aware of her presence. The next day, Silvia recognises phrases in a meeting where she is translating from what she heard the night before, and reports the incident to UN security; the target of the plot appears to be Edmond Zuwanie himself. They, in turn, call in the
United States Secret Service, who assign Tobin Keller (
Sean Penn) and Dot Woods (
Catherine Keener) to investigate, as well as protect Zuwanie when he arrives.
Most of the film surrounds the multi-pronged investigation of the assassination plot: the efforts to secure the UN building before Zuwanie's arrival (and to find any weapons, explosives or the like that may have been snuck in), the investigation of Zuwanie's enemies and political opponents, the investigation of janitors that work at the UN building (after Silvia's apartment is broken into, but not forcefully), and the investigation of Silvia herself. As the film progresses, we see Silvia has in the past been involved in a Matoban
guerrilla group, that her family was killed by land mines laid by Zuwanie, and even that she was girlfriend to one of Zuwanie's political opponents. Despite Keller considering Silvia a prime suspect, the two grow close as events unfold, and Keller ends up protecting her.
The assassin is discovered while Zuwanie is in the middle of his address to the General Assembly, and security personnel rush Zuwanie to a 'safe room' for his protection. In the confusion, Silvia attempts to take revenge on Zuwanie for all thats' happened, and Keller arrives just in time to prevent her from
murdering him. The assassination plot is revealed to be a sham; Zuwanie planned it to enhance his own credibility - and thus avoid the indictment - while also eliminating his political opponents (one in-particular is killed when a New York City bus service is bombed). Zuwanie is indicted, and Silvia is expelled from the UN, returning home to Matobo soon afterwards.
Subplots include seeing the desperate private nature of Keller, whose wife was killed in a car accident a mere fortnight prior to these events, and the desperate private nature of Silvia, who is anxious to hear from her brother; he still lives in Matobo. Silvia later discovers that he, and her former lover, were both killed as part of the 'plot'.
The country ("Democratic Republic of Matobo") and its corresponding
constructed language ("
Ku") were created for this film. The director of the
Centre for African Language Learning,
Said el-Gheithy, was commissioned in January 2004 to create Ku. Ku is based on
Bantu languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The tagline for the film, "The truth needs no translation.", in
Ku is
Angota ho ne njumata.
* It is the first movie ever filmed inside the United Nations General Assembly and
Security Council buildings. Earlier films used only the exteriors or were filmed back when the buildings were under construction (and did not really have an "inside").
*
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is from Ghana, commented on
The Interpreter that "the intention was really to do something dignified, something that is honest and reflects the work that this Organization does. And it is with that spirit that the producers and the directors approached their work, and I hope you will all agree they have done that."
* There are three actors from the television show
Oz that have roles in this movie:
Robert Clohessy,
David Zayas, and
Michael Wright.
Some have seen strong parallels between the movie and the real country of
Zimbabwe, which banned the movie.
* In real life,
Robert Mugabe had ruled
Zimbabwe for 25 years when the movie was released. The movie's Zuwanie had been in power for 23 years.
* Australia and New Zealand are pushing for Mugabe to be indicted by the UN Security Council for trial before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity; Zuwanie is indicted by the UN Security Council for trial before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.
* Both Mugabe and Zuwanie were teachers before being involved with politics.
* Mugabe tends to wave his fist; Zuwanie his gun.
* Mugabe hired an ex-Israeli secret service agent
Ari Ben-Menashe to arrange an assassination attempt which would have
Morgan Tsvangirai tried for treason. Zuwanie is portrayed as arranging for a Dutch former mercenary to arrange an assassination attempt on him, as, to quote the film, "a nearly assassinated president gains credibility and sticks around to enjoy it".
* Mugabe has a preoccupation with the British and accuses Blair of trying to unseat him. Zuwanie thinks the French are doing the same.
* The flag of Matobo bears a strong resemblance to the
flag of Zimbabwe.
* The name of the fictional country of
Matobo is a clear reference to the name of the
Matobo National Park in
Zimbabwe.
Zimababwe's government has itself spotted the parallels between Mugabe and Zuwanie
* In September
2005, the
Herald, a government-controlled
newspaper in
Harare,
Zimbabwe, attacked the film, calling it an anti-Zimbabwean work supported by the
CIA. The film has been approved for release and distribution inside the country by the country's official censorship board. Acting Minister of Information and Publicity Chen Chimutengwende said, "The CIA-backed film showed that Zimbabwe's enemies did not rest. They have resources and are determined to wage their war on the economic, social and cultural fronts. The names of the main character in the film are Shona," Mr Chimutengwende said, referring to Zimbabwe's main ethnic group to which Mugabe belongs. "The film talks about an African president going to the United Nations and our president is going to the UN next week so the connection is so obvious," he said. "But we will defeat them and we will defeat neo-colonialism. We have defeated a powerful enemy before which was colonialism," he said. Tafataona Mahoso, chairman of the Zimababwe government Media and Information Commission, said it was "cheap American and Rhodesian propaganda . . . typical of the tactics used during the Cold War".
* Zimdaily.com reported on 23 September 2005 that the President's Office had issued an interdict banning screening of The Interpreter. The interdict, seen by Zimdaily, stated that the film is "mischievous" and a "subtle denigration of our head of State by the Bush administration and the CIA." It states that screening the film risks contravening Section 13(1)(A) as read with subsection (6) of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act, and that it is in contravention of the Public Order and Security Act, which outlaws communicating statements deemed to undermine the head of State.
* Zimbabwe's government also linked the film to efforts by Australia and New Zealand to have Mugabe indicted by the
UN Security Council for trial before the
International Criminal Court on charges of
crimes against humanity. The attempt to indict Mugabe for crimes against humanity is supported by the
International Bar Association.
*
Nicole Kidman – Silvia Broome
*
Sean Penn – Tobin Keller
*
Catherine Keener – Dot Woods
*
Jesper Christensen – Nils Lud
*
Yvan Attal – Philippe
*
Earl Cameron – Zuwanie
*
George Harris – Kuman-Kuman
*
Michael Wright – Marcus
*
Clyde Kusatsu – Police Chief Lee Wu
*
Eric Keenleyside – Rory Robb
*
Hugo Speer – Simon Broome
*
Maz Jobrani – Mo
*
Yusuf Gatewood – Doug
*
Curtiss Cook – Ajene Xola
*
Byron Utley – Jean Gamba
In
2005, the
Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarded
Catherine Keener as Best Supporting Actress, for her parts in several films including
The Interpreter.
*
Ku (language)*
Banned films*
United Nations*
United Nations General Assembly*
Matobo National Park*
Official site*
Producer's official site*
Movie trailer*
Comments of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 'The Interpreter'*
Dialogue transcript of 'The Interpreter'*
The Interpreter DVD Official Universal Studios Site
