Review of Camp X-Ray

"My Name is Amy Cole".  

A soldier's journey back to her humanity. 

Camp X-Ray follows one soldier’s quiet journey from duty to conscience, from the uniform that once protected her to the humanity it nearly erased.

Kristen Stewart delivers one of the most restrained and focused performances of her career as Private Amy Cole, a young guard assigned to the Guantánamo Bay detention facility. Writer-director Peter Sattler avoids overt politics and spectacle. He chooses instead to explore how empathy erodes within an institution built on obedience. The film opens with routine: searches, shouted orders, and mechanical commands. These repetitive actions reflect a sterile environment where ritual replaces thought. Cole is trained to detach, to observe without truly seeing. As her days begin to blend together, that detachment slowly begins to fade.

This film marks Sattler’s directorial debut, and his approach is remarkably controlled. He avoids preaching or dramatizing, allowing isolation and dialogue to carry the emotional weight. His confidence appears in every choice, from the deliberate pacing to the thoughtful composition. Rather than overwhelming the viewer with style, he trusts the silences and unspoken moments to reveal the heart of the story. The result is a debut that feels fully formed and carefully considered.

Cole’s relationship with detainee Ali Amir, played by Peyman Moaadi, begins with discomfort and reluctant curiosity. He challenges her composure with persistent questions, while she hides behind regulation and silence. Their conversations, exchanged through a narrow slot in the door, begin to take on deeper meaning. Ali’s repeated request for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the series, becomes more than a plea for distraction. It represents the human need for continuity and closure when life has been put on indefinite hold. Cole initially resists this request. As time passes, she begins to understand that his desire to finish the book speaks to something essential: the will to remain human in a place designed to suppress that very instinct.

By the end of the film, Cole ensures the book is delivered after she is reassigned. The gesture is small in scale but profound in meaning. It is not an act of rebellion or pity. It is a quiet expression of moral awareness, made possible within the narrow space allowed by official procedure. She cannot offer a farewell. She cannot repair the harm already done. However, the book’s arrival communicates something beyond words. The book’s arrival becomes a message in its own quiet language: I saw you. I heard you.

Sattler’s visual style reflects the film’s moral clarity. Shot at the abandoned Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility in Whittier, California, the cinematography captures a world devoid of comfort and warmth. Gray walls, chain-link fences, and fluorescent lighting create a cold, flattened environment. Within this stark setting, the few moments of connection take on extraordinary significance. A faint smile, a glance through an open door, or a silence left undisturbed all resonate deeply. The film’s simplicity mirrors Cole’s transformation. It shows that redemption does not need spectacle and that recognition can be powerful even when unspoken.

Camp X-Ray concludes without a tidy resolution, just as most moral awakenings do. Cole leaves the facility changed but uncertain. She has seen the fragile humanity that survives behind uniforms and cages alike. The film’s strength lies in this restraint. It refuses to offer simple answers or emotional shortcuts. Instead, it leaves the viewer with something more enduring. It reminds us that even in captivity, empathy remains an act of quiet courage.

The story conveys a truth that extends far beyond its setting. The human spirit is not easily defined by its surroundings. Whether confined by prison walls or shaped by fear, the challenge remains the same: to act with compassion when silence would be more convenient.

Director: Peter Sattler

Cast: 

Kristen Stewart( Officer Amy Cole)  

Peyman Moaadi( Ali)