Comprehensive information and links about The Interpreter

The Interpreter

Plot

The film has a complex plot involving a United Nations interpreter, Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), who inadvertently overhears two people planning to assassinate someone. Sean Penn plays Tobin Keller, the United States Secret Service agent tasked with investigating the alleged assassination plot (and who soon ends up becoming Silvia's protector).

The presumed target is the President of the Democratic Republic of Matobo, Dr. Edmund Zuwanie, who is scheduled to speak before the United Nations General Assembly in a desperate attempt to head off prosecution in the International Criminal Court; his regime has become notorious for a vicious policy of ethnic cleansing. Both the country and leader are fictional, but they appear to be based on Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe; amongst other resemblances the fictional flag used in the film as well as the fictional history mentioned are very similar to those of Zimbabwe.

At the same time, Silvia's brother Simon is in grave danger, since he is trying to engineer an important meeting between the two leading opponents to Zuwanie's dictatorship, Kuman-Kuman and Ajene Xola.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is from Ghana, commented on The Interpreter that "the intention was really to do something dignified, something that is honest and reflects the work that this Organization does. And it is with that spirit that the producers and the directors approached their work, and I hope you will all agree they have done that."

Matobo and Ku

The country ("Democratic Republic of Matobo") and its corresponding constructed language ("Ku") were created for this film. The director of the Centre for African Language Learning, Said el-Gheithy, was commissioned in January 2004 to create Ku. Ku is based on Bantu languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The tagline for the film, "The truth needs no translation.", in Ku is .

Matobo is also the name of a national park in Zimbabwe.

The character Silvia Broome is from Matobo. Her whole family was killed under the rule of Edmund Zuwanie.

It is the first movie ever filmed inside the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council buildings. Earlier films used only the exteriors or were filmed back when the buildings were under construction (and did not really have an "inside").There are three actors from the television show Oz that have roles in this movie: Robert Clohessy, David Zayas and Michael Wright.Robert Mugabe had ruled the country for 25 years when the movie was released, Zuwanie had been in power for 23 years.Australia and New Zealand are pushing for Mugabe to be indicted by the UN Security Council for trial before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity; Zuwanie is indicted by the UN Security Council for trial before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.Mugabe hired an ex-Israeli secret service agent Ari Ben-Menashe to arrange an assassination attempt which would have Morgan Tsvangirai tried for treason. Zuwanie is portrayed as arranging for a Dutch former mercenary to arrange an assassination attempt on him, as a nearly assassinated president gains credibility and sticks around to enjoy it.Mugabe has a preoccupation with the British and accuses Blair of trying to unseat him. Zuwanie thinks the French are doing the same., a government-controlled newspaper in Harare, Zimbabwe, attacked the film, calling it an anti-Zimbabwean work supported by the CIA. The film has been approved for release and distribution inside the country by the country's official censorship board. Acting Minister of Information and Publicity Chen Chimutengwende said, "The CIA-backed film showed that Zimbabwe's enemies did not rest. They have resources and are determined to wage their war on the economic, social and cultural fronts. The names of the main character in the film are Shona," Mr Chimutengwende said, referring to Zimbabwe's main ethnic group to which Mugabe belongs. "The film talks about an African president going to the United Nations and our president is going to the UN next week so the connection is so obvious," he said. "But we will defeat them and we will defeat neo-colonialism. We have defeated a powerful enemy before which was colonialism," he said. Tafataona Mahoso, chairman of the Zimababwe government Media and Information Commission, said it was “cheap American and Rhodesian propaganda . . . typical of the tactics used during the Cold War”.

Zimdaily.com reported on 23 September 2005 that the President’s Office had issued an interdict banning screening of The Interpreter. The interdict, seen by Zimdaily, stated that the film is “mischievous” and a “subtle denigration of our head of State by the Bush administration and the CIA.” It states that screening the film risks contravening Section 13(1)(A) as read with subsection (6) of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act, and that it is in contravention of the Public Order and Security Act, which outlaws communicating statements deemed to undermine the head of State.

Zimbabwe's government also linked the film to efforts by Australia and New Zealand to have Mugabe indicted by the UN Security Council for trial before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. The attempt to indict Mugabe for crimes against humanity is supported by the International Bar Association.