The Interpreter (2005)

            The film opens in the fictional African country of Matobo, where we witness the results of genocide and then a murder.  It's an ominous beginning and the subsequent references to fictional events in Africa are not unlike the real news we see.  However the rest of the screenplay is set in New York and specifically in the UN building.  Sylvia, a multilingual UN interpreter, who was raised in Africa, overhears an assassination conspiracy.  The plot line then proceeds in the tradition of The Manchurian Candidate (1962, 2004) with marked differences that make the story both interesting and worth seeing.

            Sydney Pollack directed this thriller and Nicole Kidman as Sylvia, does a great job of keeping us on edge for two hours.  Sean Penn as Tobin with Catherine Keener as Dot play the role of secret service diplomat protectors.  In a sense, their characters are predetermined, i.e. frontline troops with an objective and a proven methodology.  Sylvia is more interesting and it's her ambiguity of personality and vagueness of motivation that draws us in, piques our curiosity and engages us in her mystery.

            The fourth important character in the film is the UN building.  The UN charter precludes the use of the building for commercial gain.  So its interior has never been filmed for use in a drama.  However Pollack, after being refused once, was able to convince Kofi Anan in a second meeting, that the storyline portrayed the UN in a positive and constructive way.  The resulting interior shots are an essential element in the success of the film.  Both the Security Council and General Assembly rooms are unique and would have been impossible to reproduce as a movie set with anything like their real grandeur.  This aspect of the filming is discussed in the Bonus Features (click "more" for the second list) under the title: The Ultimate Movie Set: The United Nations Building.

            A final fascinating segment in the Bonus Features is titled: A Day in the Life of a Real Interpreter.  It includes an interview with the Head UN Interpreter.  She discusses the role of an interpreter, how this differs from a translator and how booth interpreting differs from face-to-face interpreting.  She also discusses the range of subjects an interpreter must translate and how they stay current in their profession/art. 

We also learn about the Ku language that was created by The Language Institute in England specifically for this film by merging Swahili and the Shoner language from Mozambique.  Ku is spoken in Matobo and Kidman learned it and spoke it like a real language.

Reviewed November 9, 2005                        Copyright 2005 Charles T. Markee

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for violence, some sexual content and brief strong language.