Bahadur’s seemingly improbable story begins in 2008, when the University of Toronto grad (appealingly played by Evan Peters) is off to a slow start realizing his dream of becoming the next Woodward and/or Bernstein from the lowly vantage point of his parents’ (Melanie Griffith and Alok Tewari) basement.
But following a chance encounter with another journalistic idol (Al Pacino), Bahadur perseveres and soon finds himself well over his head in Somalia at the invitation of the president, where he spends the next six months learning the ropes with the help of a local translator/fixer (Barkhad Abdi).
Fortunately the genuine rapport between Peters, a regular fixture on “American Horror Story,” and the magnetic Abdi, who received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a Somali pirate captain in the “Captain Phillips” film, mainly succeeds in keeping it all on an even keel.
Running time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Playing: Arena Cinelounge Sunset, Hollywood