Also Read: Jodie Foster to Direct True Story About Theft of the Mona Lisa“The Mauritanian” is based on a true story and a memoir by the real Ould Slahi called “Guantanamo Diary,” which wound up on the New York Times Best Sellers list and documented the man’s fight for survival against all odds.Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”) directs this political and legal thriller that also stars Zachary Levi, Saamer Usmani and Shailene Woodley.M.B.