"Strip Search" attempts to show that the freedoms we take for granted can be taken away in the name of national security, and our government can turn into a police state the way N. Korea and China are.
It uses two identical incidents with the same dialogue to drive this point home. But there are problems with the premise. First, what if the roles were reversed? I believe it is natural for us to have more compassion for a woman under interrogation, than a man. What if it were an American man being questioned in a Chinese prison, and a Muslim woman being questioned in America? Or better yet, make both of the suspects men so that the stories are indeed parallel. I believe the impact would not be as strong, which highlights how weak the story really is.
Another minor beef is, for me the Chinese interrogator acts too Western in his manner and delivery.
Good acting all around, especially from Maggie Gyllenhall.
5 out of 10
It uses two identical incidents with the same dialogue to drive this point home. But there are problems with the premise. First, what if the roles were reversed? I believe it is natural for us to have more compassion for a woman under interrogation, than a man. What if it were an American man being questioned in a Chinese prison, and a Muslim woman being questioned in America? Or better yet, make both of the suspects men so that the stories are indeed parallel. I believe the impact would not be as strong, which highlights how weak the story really is.
Another minor beef is, for me the Chinese interrogator acts too Western in his manner and delivery.
Good acting all around, especially from Maggie Gyllenhall.
5 out of 10