Plot Summary

Rendition is a tense political thriller that exposes the moral gray zones of the global war on terror through parallel personal and institutional perspectives.

Anwar El Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), an Egyptian-born American chemical engineer, has lived most of his life in the United States after immigrating with his family at a young age. While traveling from South Africa to Washington, he mysteriously disappears mid-flight. Unbeknownst to his family, Anwar has been abducted by the CIA and transferred to a secret detention facility for interrogation.

Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal), a CIA analyst stationed in North Africa, becomes a firsthand witness to Anwar’s brutal interrogation, conducted using extreme and unconventional methods. As Douglas observes the psychological and physical toll of these practices, he begins to question not only the intelligence behind the operation but also the ethical foundations of his own role within the system.

Running parallel to Anwar’s ordeal is the desperate search led by his wife, Isabella, whose struggle against bureaucratic indifference highlights the human cost of covert policies. Rendition confronts viewers with unsettling questions about justice, accountability, and the price paid when fear overrides fundamental human rights.