This Prison Where I Live – review

The thinness of this documentary about the imprisoned Burmese comedian Zarganar is miserable proof of the ruling junta's iron grip. Zarganar, a hugely popular figure in Burma, was jailed in 2008 for 35 years after speaking out against the government's response to cyclone Nargis. Anti-establishment to his bones, as a young stand-up he was summoned to perform in front of the prime minister – with a warning to steer clear of politics. He walked on stage with sticky tape over his mouth. There is a glimpse of him in footage shot by director Rex Bloomstein before his arrest, and Bloomstein returns to Burma undercover to investigate. But they can't get anywhere near Zarganar, and the friends and colleagues they arrange to interview won't speak – even passers-by flinch from the camera. There's surely an interesting film in here somewhere, but the amount of padding and mooching about makes it a bit of a fruitless enterprise.