Rosewater

Jon Stewart’s day job involves making jokes about current events on television, but Rosewater shows that he has a serious side, as well.

His filmmaking debut showcases his sardonic sense of humor within a story of courage and corruption amid contemporary political conflict in the Middle East. And although the result is earnest and uneven, it’s also smart and timely, considering the ongoing headlines about the dangers confronting journalists in the region.

The film chronicles the true-life story of Maziar Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal), a British journalist of Iranian descent who leaves his pregnant fiancée (Claire Foy) and travels to Tehran to cover that country’s 2009 presidential election, and specifically the campaign tactics of incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He captures what seems like innocent video footage of some civil unrest and does a satirical interview with a correspondent from “The Daily Show” (thus the Stewart connection), which the Iranian government misinterprets as the act of an American spy. So he’s arrested by Iranian police and imprisoned for 118 days, where he’s regularly blindfolded and tortured by an interrogator (Kim Bodnia) seeking a confession.

Stewart’s screenplay, adapted from a memoir by Bahari, incorporates some subtle details that demonstrate a level of research outside of just turning the pages of the book. It provides insight into everyday life in modern-day Iran, even if it’s from an outsider perspective.

Bahari gives the audience a window into the harrowing events that provide the backdrop for his own story of defiance and survival, even though the film is rough around the edges and has its share of contrivances and embellishments (not to mention some pedantic narration).

Bernal, a Mexico native, again shows his cultural versatility with a performance that conveys his character’s strength and vulnerability. The intense prison sequences that consume the latter half of the film manage to inject humor without sacrificing dramatic integrity.

Rosewater offers a provocative peek into an emerging democracy in which objective journalism is suppressed and for which church and state aren’t yet separate — things most of us take for granted. The film is a worthwhile tribute to the value of grassroots reporting and the risks that journalists take to tell a valuable story.

Rated R, 103 minutes.