Review of The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009) by Dc E — 07 Feb 2012
"The Stoning of Soraya M." 10 Scale Rating: 6.0 (Decent) ...
I really wanted to like this movie more than I did. It was just too long and drawn out to be anything more than decent. I feel guilty admitting this, but eventually I found myself saying "Would you just stone her already?!?!" ...
Based on a true story, a French journalist (Jim Caviezel) stranded in Iran is approached by an elderly woman (Shohreh Aghdashloo) who wants the story of Soraya to be told. The journalist then records her account of a man who wants to be rid of his wife. He is able to accomplish this by conspiring with other villagers to have her stoned for being unfaithful to him. She is of course innocent, but the villagers are whipped into a rage about her supposed acts of infidelity and she is ultimately executed.
The message and point of the movie are sound. It was also interesting and painted a haunting and depressing (yet accurate) depiction of some small villages in Iran. The stoning of women is apparently common and typically happens to women who are innocent.
The movie was about thirty minutes too long though. There was a LOT of build up to the actual stoning and it almost felt like filler. These extra moments took away from the film and prevent it from being really good.
This review of The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009) was written by Dc E on 07 Feb 2012.
The Stoning of Soraya M. has generally received very positive reviews.
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