Review of The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009) by Ceph J — 11 Mar 2010
We can assume a woman is stoned to death for adultery in Islamic law. This movie informs us the charges were false, made up by her abusive husband, and the story is told to a French journalist who's just driving through the Iranian village. I'm sure this story will rile feminists. The scene of the actual stoning is too long, emotionally draining and vivid--young viewers will have nightmares.
Shohreh Adghdashloo, from "House Of Sand and Fog" plays the aunt and reminded me of Irene Papas with her genuine acting. I love her husky voice. At times, she's too melodramatic but captures the outrage perfectly. She's the eyes of the audience. The movie is actually better suited to a play because it's bigger-than-life. The ending is anticlimatic and you wonder about the motivation of the husband. Another flaw is that the actress, Mozhan Marno who plays Soraya, is not easy to like since she plays the role in a haughty manner. By casting James Caviezel "The Passion Of Christ" as the journalist, I think the movie is making the point that Soraya, like Jesus, is a matyr. Caviezel is wasted in the role.
Overall, it's an important story which illuminates the struggles of women in Islamic countries. I give kudos to the filmmakers for showing us this tragedy.
This review of The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009) was written by Ceph J on 11 Mar 2010.
The Stoning of Soraya M. has generally received very positive reviews.
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