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Disgraced filmmaker Roman Polanski is making headlines once again this week, but this time he’s garnering positive attention for his on-screen triumphs. The director and producer’s first new film since 2005, The Ghost Writer—described as “a Hitchcockian nightmare with a persistent, stomach-turning sense of disquiet” by The Guardian—debuted at the Berlin Film Festival Friday, earning much buzz for its haunting real-life allusions. The British newspaper’s review also dubbed the film Polanski’s “most purely enjoyable picture for years.” Based on Robert Harris’ bestseller, the movie depicts the story of Adam Lang, a once-admired, but now fallen U.K. prime minister (played Pierce Brosnan), and the ghost writer of his memoir (played Ewan McGregor). The film, which premieres in the U.S. next week, invokes the political career of former British leader Tony Blair, as well as some of the moral complexities of Polanksi’s own life.