Turned a fascinating story into complete drivel

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 2012)

It's a shame that Spielberg transformed Mehran Karimi Nasseri's real life nightmare into a sappy love story with a happy ending.
Nasseri was an Iranian who sought political asylum in Britain, but lost his visa while in transit. Britain forced him to return to his previous connection in France, where for eighteen years he attempted to wade through bureaucracy and even a short stint in prison.
Except for a couple of months in jail (it may have been less), he resided at the airport the entire time, ordering the same exact meals from the airport's Burger King each day. He loved economics and became extremely well-versed in it during his stay.
A lawyer at last was able to help Nasseri obtain legal status. Nasseri, who claimed to be the son of a British mother and Persian father, refused to sign a document with Mehran Karimi Nasseri written on it, but insisted it read Sir Alfred Mehran -- his 'true' name. He subsequently returned to the airport.
So the story is really much darker, with a touch of mental illness involved. The fact that this was even allowed to happen, and that a sick man was not tended to for so long is where the real drama lurks. Mehran was eventually sent to a French halfway house after spending almost two decades on the same bench.
Spielberg, felt he had to anglicize Mehran and transform him into essentially Andy Kaufman from Taxi. It became a quirky little film rather than something that could have been more akin to A Beautiful Mind with a touch of bureaucratic torture involved. Maybe someone could have told the story correctly and intelligently, though I doubt they will in fear of copying Spielberg's bastardization of the man's life.