Factual error: We are told at some point that Nicole Kidman has dual nationality because she was born in the US. In the final scene, when she is talking with Sean Penn about her future steps, she says she has been deported and given one day to leave the country. She was a US citizen, so it is impossible that she would be "deported".
The Interpreter (2005)
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Jesper Christensen
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn are talking for the first time in the lounge area, Nicole's bangs go from across her eye to swept aside from shot to shot.
Plot hole: Toward the end of the movie, it is revealed that Silvia spent the night in the secure room where the Matabo President was taken after the assassination attempt so that she could be alone with him and threaten to kill him. With the U.N. and Secret Service on alert for an assassination attempt, wouldn't they have swept the secure room right before the Matabo President arrived that day? In addition, Silvia would have had to use her access card to get in that area of the building, so there would be a record of her being in the building but not at her station. Wouldn't that raise some suspicion long before Tobin figures it out?
Trivia: "The Interpreter" was almost banned from Zimbabwe because of the similarities between the Matoban regime of Dr. Zuwanie and that of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.
Trivia: This was the first film Sydney Pollack made in a widescreen format in more than twenty years.
Trivia: This is the very first movie to be shot inside an actual U.N. building. Most of the extra cast members are actual members of the U.N.
Tobin Keller: You lose somebody, you lose somebody. I don't wanna lose two somebodies.
Nils Lud: Nils Lud. Dr Zuwanie's head of security. I thought since you were in a question-answering mood, I might ask one or two. Might I ask where you stand now politically, Miss Broome?
Silvia Broome: I'm for peace and quiet, Mr. Lud. It's why I came to the U.N. Quiet diplomacy.
Nils Lud: With respect, you only interpret.
Silvia Broome: Countries have gone to war because they've misinterpreted one another.
Silvia Broome: Do you know that the leading cause of death for beavers is falling trees?
Question: Am I mistaken, or did Sylvia say she was born in the US before moving to Africa? I'm just puzzled as to why she was deported in the end even if she has dual citizenship.
Question: When Sylvia is reading through Simon's book, she writes down that Simon died, etc. Then she started to write "Sylvia". Why?
Chosen answer: At this point, she has set her mind on killing the African leader and knows she'll likely be killed immediately afterwards (police, bodyguards, etc). She's writing her name in anticipation of her death.
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Chosen answer: Dual citizenship is complicated, and it does not guarantee a person equal rights, privileges, and obligations in both countries. Nor does one country or the other always recognize dual citizenship. Since Sylvia's main residency has been in Africa, the US would consider that her primary homeland and could legally deport her there. Basically, the government is giving Sylvia a way to avoid prosecution in the US by allowing her to leave the country.
raywest ★