The Hostage (2005): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2005, The Hostage is a drama film directed by Eldar Guliyev, running about 92 minutes.

What it’s about. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the Armenian minority in Nagorono-Karabakh attempted to break away from Azerbaijan, one of the former Soviet republics. Overnight these former neighbors became enemies, and simple village folk were suddenly made hostages in a complex power game. One of the Azerbaijani villages right on the border is home to the family of the peasant farmer Kerim, who has just been captured by the Armenians. The village council decides to take an Armenian in order to arrange a hostage exchange. They imprison the wounded man in the barn next to Kerim's house, where his wife and three children desperately await the husband's return. The captive from the other side of the border finds himself in exactly the same situation - he, too, has three children, he finds it hard to scrape a living together, he has never done anything to harm anyone and, like Kerim, he just wants to go back home. But life in Karabakh is far more complex now. Blood calls for blood.

Who’s in it. The Hostage stars Gurban Ismailov as Armenian Hostage, Gular Nabiyeva as Sona, Mirsahib and Vidadi Aliyev as Ali, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, The Hostage has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Hostage page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Hostage tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.