The United States military prison camp in Guantamao Bay, Cuba, houses what are presumed to be some of this country’s most dangerous adversaries in the war on terror. But it has also been the source of conflict over the legality, ethics and politics of this unique situation. Camp X-Ray, an extraordinary dramatic film and a Sundance Film Festival Award nominee, tackles this very subject. Starring Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, it starts its Exclusive Theatrical Premiere run Friday, November 7 here at Cinema Detroit. Stewart is a revelation as a tough but also naive soldier who begins a rotation at Guantanamo, only to find herself buffeted by her relationships with the other guards, and the prisoners themselves.

Cole (Stewart) joins the military to be part of something bigger than herself and her own small-town roots. But her mission as a new guard at Guantanamo Bay is far from black and white. She is surrounded by hostile jihadists prisoners and aggressive male squad mates, not all of whom are comfortable with her gender. The heart of the intelligent and emotionally gripping story is her slowly building friendship, against all odds, with a detainee named Ali, played brilliantly by Oscar winning (A Separation) Iranian actor Peyman Moaadi (as Payman Maadi).

Camp X-Ray is a morally ambiguous film that offers no easy answers - only questions and human realities - for the seemingly unresolvable contradictions of the world we live in. The Hollywood Reporter calls the film, “Provocative and riveting…rich emotional rewards.”

Part of what we do here at Cinema Detroit is show films that challenge us, inspire us and ask us to question our assumptions. With Kristen Stewart’s knockout performance at its core, Camp X-Ray does just that.

There will also be a Skype Q & A with the film’s director, Peter Sattler, after the 4:00 p.m. screening on Sunday, November 9.