Review: The Stoning of Soraya M.
by Chuck DeVoreCyrus Nowrasteh’s “The Stoning of Soraya M.” is a grim and solemn duty. This is no popcorn flick, to be viewed and forgotten. It stays with you, like your conscience telling you to do the right thing, the difficult thing.
Set in 1986 Iran – the Islamic Republic of Iran – Stoning is a gut-wrenching film with haunting music. Nowrasteh’s movie, set to open June 26, is based on a book about the crime by French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam.
The film opens with Freidoune (James Caviezel) breaking down in his car on his way to the border. Spending unwanted hours in a small village, he is approached by Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo), a woman the villagers try to shoo away as they call her crazy. But Zahra has a terrible secret. She does all she can to get word to the journalist about a terrible injustice committed in the village the previous day when her niece, Soraya M. (Mozhan Marnò), falsely accused of adultery by her cheating husband, Ali (Navid Negahban), was stoned to death per Islamic law.
Stoning’s premise, repeated with numbing regularity around the world today, is made all the more pressing by the masses of Iranians protesting in the streets today while the brutal Basij militia tries to beat them into submission. But it’s one thing for a stoning of an accused “adulteress” to occur in Somalia, and quite another for it to happen in the soon-to-be-nuclear-armed Islamic Republic of Iran. If a nation thinks nothing of stoning women to death for the “crime” of adultery while killing peaceful protesters, it takes no imagination to think of what they will do when in possession of a nuclear bomb.
The film is tightly put together and the acting is natural and intense. The actors mostly speak Farsi throughout the film, but they communicate volumes, relegating the captions to a supporting role. Nowrasteh effortlessly allows his film to unfold. He gradually builds tension, while adding depth to the main characters’ soul. The end is inevitable as it is jarring, with the males of the village engaging in the collective guilt of the stoning while most of the women watch and wail. The act of stoning takes away the village’s “dishonor” one stone at a time, according to the mullah.
It is no small task to adapt a book to the screen, especially a book of the intensity of Sahebjam’s work, but Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh and Cyrus Nowrasteh have done the job with the precision of a brain surgeon. The husband and wife team add nothing more than needed, while everything needed remains.
Lastly, a note about John Debney’s music: it is beyond superb. With a cast and crew of Iranian expatriates making a film about life in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Nowrasteh could have easily settled for a selection of traditional Persian folk music. This would have been true to form, but likely would have missed the opportunity to tightly tailor the music to the requirements of film while appealing to wider audiences. It is interesting to see that Debney worked on “Passion of the Christ” (for which Debney was nominated for an Academy Award) along with Caviezel five years ago. Clearly Debney has developed a talent for producing Mideast-themed music for the big screen.
Cyrus Nowrasteh’s “The Stoning of Soraya M.” could not have come at a better time for the world. While Iranians struggle to transcend tyranny and most Americans, including our President, remain rooted in inaction, Stoning proves that Hollywood’s capacity to combat evil is still intact.
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[...] Lack of Response Will Not Be Regarded Kindly” (Audio-Video) Chuck DeVore, Big Hollywood: Review: The Stoning of Soraya M. Pundit & Pundette: Iranian woman murdered in street and Iranian revolt highlights [...]
The people that "matter" when it comes to making the American people aware of these atrocities will not watch this movie. They will not report on this movie. They will pretend not to even know about this movie. in short, Chris Matthews will not be getting a strange sensation creeping up his leg about this movie.
Now, if only we could get a script showing a young, black lesbian wearing a "No on Prop. 8" t-shirt being dragged to death behind a truck bearing a "Bush/Cheney '04" bumper sticker in Crawford, Texas, then we could have ourselves a good old-fashioned bidding war between the studios. That film would be greenlit so fast that it would make Shana Moakler's head spin.
Re: the music, Varese Sarabande put out a soundtrack but it was limited to 1000 copies (I assume for financial reasons).
http://varesesarabande.com/details.asp?pid=vsd-30...
Your comment doesn't even approach being witty or humerous.
I look forward to seeing this film, and as I read the review, I was wondering if you would draw the comparison to The Passion. As with The Passion, I consider this a must see, one whose theater I will enter with a heavy heart and exit probably feeling worse.
It's timing could not have been more perfect.
Red State – I was going to say the exact same thing, but you beat me to it.
I respect this movie tremendously. But I tell you – it extends my respect of Caviezel as well. It doesn't surprise me that he's in a film which kicks Hollywood's smug blindness in the derrier. If ever there was one actor who's putting his principles ahead of his career, this actor is it.
Amen, Caviezel struck me as a fine actor in The Count of Monte Cristo and I have kept an eye on his career. That feeling was cemented after Passion. Luckily whilst sticking to his principles his career has not seemed to suffer.
why are you such a douche bag?….people like you use any and every thing to be hateful to other americans even if there is no connection….but you found a connection between an iranian movie about an atrocity and the americans you hate so much didn't you?….you ought to be ashamed of yourself but folks like you know no shame….you are an unamerican american partisan and frankly no different than the iranian douche bags……you don't know a damn thing about people "that matter" nor about any other kind of person but "red state gun owner" …. wow that's something to be proud about……you are a nasty human being based on your own words….too bad your reaction is so thoroughly predictable….it requires hate like yours to even commit the atrocity in this film but that point flew right over your probably shaved head.
I have seen a trailer for this movie or something very close to it here in Europe. A crappy little Taliban truck pulls up with a bound Muslim dressed woman, she dragged out of the bed and thrown to the ground. Then a "warlord" looking clown rattles off some Farsi or some Arabic tounge and the crowd begins stoning her. I was shocked it was on TV even in Euro-land. There are Arabic TV stations with soaps and various programming aimed at Muslim ex-pats/sleeper cells, it's amazing. The British are finally starting to wake up (maybe) the was an editorial complaining about the record number of new British "citizens" beating a tougher immigration law slated for Dec. 2010. Something like a 250,000 people have granted citizenship this year and the masses aren't happy, or at least the "Daily Mail" isn't happy. Considering they have been slowing slipping into the abyss of being a Muslim client state as penance for their colonial period I'm surprised that the paper is even bitching. These "immigrants" are due full British benefits, which are a extensive at huge cost to the taxpayer.
Being a "Red State Gun Owner" is something to be proud of — he's willing to protect himself when the police can't get to him in time, and that some people simply can't be negotiated with.
"you are an unamerican american partisan and frankly no different than the iranian douche bags…"
And if you honestly believe that the Basij is staffed by American Republicans, something is definitely wrong. If Republicans were as dangerous as Iran's theocrats, there would be no Democratic party at all.
In the great red state of Texas we have a saying, "I could explain it to you but I can't understand it for you". In other words if you are so stupid you don't understand what he was saying then, oh well. Hollywood is full of PC hypocrites. They think nothing of bashing the Pope or Christians or conservatives in general, they know we won't hunt them down and kill them as happened to Theo van Gogh the Dutch filmmaker killed for criticizing Islam and the rabble that is pouring into to the Netherlands. I'm sure that there are many fine immigrants from the Middle East, just don't say an ill word about Islam. Then they'll kill you. That's the point dweeb.
If anything it's the Dems trying to herd the GOP out of exsistence. They want to kill talk radio, they support illegal voting with ACORN, they try to "buy" their nanny state constituency. "Immigration" reform? Ya right, the Dems see a pool of dedicated voters if they can deliver citizenship to them, deservging or not. If the Dem party could wrest control of our country like the ruling party in Iran they'd do it.
Oh come on. It definitely APPROACHED it.
And ditto, I saw him in a drippy movie with Jennifer Lopez, from a few years back | can't remember the name of it , and his performance stood out from an otherwise ordinary flick. He was very good and he's principaled, something that Hollywood doesn't understand. Most of those whores will do anything, anywhere with anybody at anytime, Caviezel won't. How refreshing.
I'm a proud Blue Gestapo (Illinois) State Gun Owner! Do I not matter? Define me, oh wise one. Nothing in that post was hateful, merely descriptive. Is that hate? What is the term for black lesbian today? I must not have received my PC email for the day. If calling out the hateful bias of the huge majority of Hollywood scriptwriting is hate then, color me angry.
Minus one for a pointless, meandering post that belongs on the Democratic Underground…
Imagine that……….
they know we won't hunt them down and kill them as happened to Theo van Gogh the Dutch filmmaker killed for criticizing Islam —–
James, just hazarding a guess but, I would bet he cheered the Islamist thugs…….granting, of course, he even knows who Theo van Gogh was.
Even if it were true that Soraya M. had committed adultery, is that the kind of punishment that should be meted out? Sharia law demands it, and our president can only talk about the wonderful contributions Islam has made to civilization (most of which were not even true). Hollywood (and Broadway) busy themselves with productions of The Scarlet Letter to point out what Americans do to adulterers (four hundred years ago), but can't be bothered with a big budget production of a case of barbaric behavior such as this.
Come on Lawhawk, what's a little stoning among friends. And it's for such a good cause. . .
Annette Benning will be busy at one of her many outreach programs.
With a lot of eyes focused on this film, now would be a good time to lobby for a DVD release of The Path to 9/11, by the same director. Disney has been suppressing the film because nothing that makes Democrats look bad should ever be allowed to see the light of day.
Yeah Lawhawk, you're so judgmental.
Good luck with that Gordon. You might as well ask them to release their diary entries about their Obama dreams.
You certainly demonstrate a great deal of experience at knowing nothing, but unfortunately,that doesn't qualify you for shedding light on anything else.
That's on a stone tablet somewhere: "Thou shalt not be judgemental."
I'm pretty sure the reason they won't release their diary entries is because they're being developed into a feature film. They don't want other studios to get the jump on them, but don't realize that the other studios have diary entries of their own to base their competing projects on.
If anyone out there hasn't seen The Path to 9/11, try to track down a copy. It's excellent.
Came across this today. But can we believe the Iranian parliament and press?
Iran Parliament Plans End To Some Punishments
TEHRAN (AFP)–Iran's parliament plans to scrap stoning and amputation of a hand as punishments in a revised version of the Islamic penal code, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday.
"Parliaments judicial commission decided not to put some Islamic punishments including stoning in the (revised) law in line with the interests of the country," commission head Ali Shahrokhi told the agency.
He said the commission is also proposing the abolition of amputation and has considered the idea of a "special court for minors under 18."
More at link:
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-stor...
Yes, I believe that's one of those four or five suggestions that dude wrote on that tablet thingy. I think it's right below "Thou shalt blame it all on Bush."
I'm envisioning a series of pornos, quite frankly.
On The Path to 9/11, I also saw it on ABC and I highly recommend it as well.
You are all getting this film's message totally wrong: it IS NOT partisan. Democrats and Republicans will be able to agree that what happens in this film is intolerable. In particular, I think you're condemning the Left before it's fair to… for instance, the Huffington Post wrote a rave review of the film and Tina Brown is apparently coming out with one calling it Oscar-caliber. You can debate the rest of what's happening in Iran from a partisan standpoint, but this movie is about human rights–women's rights– and any attemt to co-opt it for one party of the other is a mistake.
Indeed.
I feel better now. I thought I was the last gun owner in Illinois. Gotta love those "Gun Free Zones"..LOL
To the point though, your right, PC rules change daily. I have said before at BH I have been called a racist by an Illinois Libtard for referring to Obama as "Black". He's an African American, don't ya know! Just like I'm not "White", I'm a German Polish American………….Right…………….
I can't explain people like Boomer. I guess they just love to hate. But I'm not a liberal so I have a poor grasp of stuff I don't know anything about…………
I think it's cast in concrete at Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater, right next to the instructions "place hands and feet here."
It would be nice if someone could mention what is currently going on in Iran and not make it a partisan United States politics issue. It is atrocious what the Islamic leaders are doing now and – no doubt – this film reflects some of that. But let's all agree we support the Iranian protesters and their struggles to obtain a voice. One that has been drowned out for too long and one that has been ignored by only a handful of humanitarian agencies until now.
"If a nation thinks nothing of stoning women to death for the “crime” of adultery while killing peaceful protesters, it takes no imagination to think of what they will do when in possession of a nuclear bomb. " – Those are the type of little details that don't bother the goo-goo multiculturalists who condemn western civilization for every slight (real or imagined) while turning a blind eye to the brutality of the Islamic world.
It's commendable that HuffPo and Tina Brown gave the movie favorable reviews but it's still not getting the kind of publicity from Hollywood (left, center and right) that it deserves. But that was not the only question. The other question is why does Hollywood steadfastly refuse to make big-budget movies about issues like this, but can find plenty of time, money and stars to make one long string of anti-American, anti-military, "poor innocent Muslim civilians" movies? Apparently, in Hollywood's collective mind, only Americans harm Muslims in the mideast, never their fellow Muslims.
Speaking of Graumans, I heard a warning about flu transmittal from the handprints.
Well I plan on seeing this one, Jim Caviezel is in it so its a done deal. There is a popular Revolution going on in Iran as we speak, in case no one noticed.
I'd be happy with a release of "Song of the South"
I concur. I was rather surprised at the timing of this film's release!
Plus, making this a partisan issue does make us look petty and small.
Oh, plenty of people have noticed.
I think we do agree. Many of the complaints from the Right are because we believe that President Obama has not been strong enough in supporting the Iranian protesters. It's possible that our complaints have helped prompt better rhetoric from him over the past couple of days.
BTW, I don't think I've ever replied to you directly before, but I enjoy reading your comments.
the reading of this post alone made me wince in anticipation of the film. a task i will dutifully, yet anxiously, do.
I watched that in school when I was a little kid! I only remember the Zip-a-dee-doo-dah part. Is it racist or "racist" or something?
Yeah, as soon as I heard about it (from this site) I realized I was gonna have to see it.
Cheese and crackers, who the F cares!?! THIS IS BORING! What I wanna know is: What flavor ice cream did Obama have?
supposedly.
During the campaign Romney made some mention of a tunnel project being a "Tar Baby" meaning a sticky situation. And people flipped out. Apparently the tunnel was offended at being referred to by this epithet.
[...] from: Review: The Stoning of Soraya M. This entry is filed under America – Blogs, Big Hollywood. You can follow any responses to this [...]
Oh, the irony of someone condemning those who are "hateful to other americans" calling another American a douche bag, a "nasty human being" and saying they're full of hate.
Why is it the only hateful people I run into are Liberals? They're the ones who tell me what I should drive, what I should eat, what I should say, what I should think. They're the ones who reduce everything to a label and try to force me to fit their preconceived notions of a right wing wacko.
I've never met a Conservative that was even half the douche bag a Liberal was. Get the feeling it's probably because the only people who use douche bags are Conservative women and Liberal men?
Yeah Chuck I’m glad you brought that up. I didn’t hear if Barry had sprinkles or not?
Oh, let's just get stoned and have some custard. Aren't there World Leaders to take care of these matters?
[...] Review: The Stoning of Soraya M. by Chuck DeVore [...]
"If a nation thinks nothing of stoning women to death for the “crime” of adultery while killing peaceful protesters, it takes no imagination to think of what they will do when in possession of a nuclear bomb."
Chuck, you put into a few short words what I've spent COLUMNS trying to tell people. No doubt who's the better writer today! Bravo! But both our stuff works, IMHO. You're the clear, lucid and sharp-worded Dean Koontz. I am the very messy Steven King. We can both tell our tales of horror in our own way. Hat, Tip, guy. Love the way you said that, as it so needed to be said. Near-prosaic.
In other words, think about it, people. And go see Soraya M. Then add to that horrorshow the hanging of two teenage boys, and the killing of at least 5000 to 6000 more innocent Iranian gays. Then look at what is happening in Iran today. I see an Islamist Third Reich. But that's just me. Make up your own minds.
No it didn't.
I never did get to see The Path to 9/11. I TiVo'd it, but my TiVo messed up. I waited for a re-airing or a DVD release. I am still waiting…
Did that actually happen??? lolololol Not even close but you would've actually probably would've liked for it to happen so that you can feel justified in your BDS ( Bush derangement Syndrome). Just like the vast array of civil liberties that were violated under GWB and the exposure of non active agent Valerie Plame etc. etc. The current adminsitration has already had constitutional issues such as seizure of private property, think dealerships, bullying private bond holders, ubiquitous tax avoidance and so forth.
You libs are deranged in secretly projecting all your wishes on conservatives. As a response to soemthing that is ACTUALLY happening frequently in the Arab/Muslim world this fantasy of yours is laughable.
WORLD magazine recently posted an article on "The Stoning." This excerpt made me REALLY impressed with Caviezel's character and compassion:
For his part, Caviezel says that as a Christian, he believes he has a special impetus to get involved in movies like Soraya because believers have been given a mandate to speak out against injustice regardless of who it might offend. "In the West we say, 'Oh, it's Shariah law and who are we to impose our religious values on them?' I think that's an evil deception. Those people are human beings, they have the imprint of God in them, so what does that tell us we should do? What does the Good Samaritan story tell us we should do? Chant some politically correct line so as not to upset anybody? I don't think that's the model Christ gives us."
Whoops. I forgot the link to article:
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15561
It was called Angel Eyes and yes I like that flick as well. But in all honesty, a movie has to be pretty terrible for me to hate it.
Maybe it's just me,but I'm picking up a lot more "hate" from your reply than from the previous comment.
Just highlighting the selective outrage of the left.
That would be Angel Eyes. I liked it too.
"In the West we say, 'Oh, it's Shariah law and who are we to impose our religious values on them?' …
Hey, don't look at me! That's those "multicultural" nitwits.
And you're not considering the tunnel's feelings why…?
[...] says, the movie tells the story of a woman stoned to death in Iran. Here’s a review from Big Hollywood: The film opens with Freidoune (James Caviezel) breaking down in his car on his way to the border. [...]
[...] of Peace® and the way they deal with the scary members of the opposite sex. First, read the review and then read “The Whitewashing of Soraya M.” about the current state of affairs in our media [...]
If this movie is a good as we are being led to believe (and I believe it will), Jim Caviezel will have hit the Triffecta of three of the most powerful film experiences a person can have leaving the theatre
The Thin Red Line, The Passion of the Christ and The Stoning of Soriya M. Sure other actors may have made films that made more money or were more popular, but very few leave the lasting impression as I believe this film will and the others too. When I saw The Passion of the Christ – it was beyond being a movie and more a work of art that seared your heart and left you leaving the theatre feeling you had experienced something so profound that it was hard to put into words.
I was at the screenign and Q&A, and in fact, it is NOT the punishment for adultry, as pointed out by the expert that was there.
Furthermore, you speak of barbaric behaviour? Try looking at America's own very recent history of lynch mobs on african americans a mere 40-50 years ago. While justice turned a blind eye.
So, you can stop with the holier than though attitude, and keep in mind that christianity has been as blood thirsty a religion as any.
FYI Jim Caviezel will be on AMC in November in the remake of "The Prisoner" series. Ian McKellen will also be starring. I may not be a fan of remakes, but I happen to enjoy both actors.
I saw the movie….25 years ago I saw a real act .. I mean it a real one.. I was coming back from school and witnessed an honour crime.. I ran home and ran a fever for a week ..then I promised myself to plan an escape from that country.. I did life went on …now the story is awakened in my heart again I am going to do something about it. The act of honour killings has to be stopped, and we need to do something about this… it is a very sad and horrible thing and I do not wish that anyone ever see or experience anything like this ever.
This film is unforgettable, even though at times it was hard to watch. The reality behind the story which was so BRILLIANTLY portrayed brings about emotions of deep sorrow for those who must endure not only this type of extreme abuse, but domestic violence in any form. This story is one that must be heard! I pray that people everywhere see it and as a result, bring change to their homes and communities.
This film is brilliant. What shocked me the most from a simply film standpoint is how the director was able to make a film both thrilling and engaging in which the audience does for the most part know the ending. And the message really speaks for itself. I walked out of seeing that movie hardly able to speak. You walk out with nothing but an intense urge to stand up and do what's right.
This film was so moving to watch, and I think that the intent behind it truly was to take this woman's "voice" and give the world a chance to hear it. Everyone who watches this film will realize what a horrible situation we have on our hands and will, hopefully, be moved enough to want to do something about it. I know I was.
[...] Big Hollywood’s reviews can be found here, here and here. [...]
Having seen this movie, I completely agree with your review every step of the way. It is a film that must be seen if solely for its message. This film is a must-see for film-lover and activist alike, I highly recommend it.
[...] on the shocking reality that stoning still exists in the Iranian penal code. The movie has been reviewed and written about manytimes on Big Hollywood, as well as listed among the site’s 10 [...]
[...] on the shocking reality that stoning still exists in the Iranian penal code. The movie has been reviewed and written about many times on Big Hollywood, as well as listed among the site’s 10 [...]
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