The Stoning of Soraya M.
3/4
Starring: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marno, Navid Negahban, Ali Pourtash, David Diaan, Parviz Sayyad
Rated R for A Disturbing Sequences of Cruel and Brutal Violence, and Brief Strong Language
I've taken a great pride in not letting my political or moral views cloud my judgement when reviewing films. After all, a movie is the artist's statement and should be viewed on those terms, not my own. So while I disagreed with the point of view of the Christian film "War Room," it did accomplish what it set out to do and was on some level entertaining (this does not include the scene where the lead character literally casts Satan from her house...I'm sorry, but my conscientiousness does not extend that far). By the same token, I shared the same viewpoints as Ale Abreu, but I elected not to recommend his experimental animated film "Boy and the World" because it was unbearably dull.
Why the disclaimer? Because I have very serious reservations about recommending "The Stoning of Soraya M," and the most egregious has absolutely nothing to do with its quality or lack thereof. I am concerned that, in an era of nationalist and anti-Muslim fervor in some areas, people will get the wrong idea. Call me politically correct or a social justice warrior, but I feel like I have to reiterate what should be obvious: while crimes like this do happen, they are not acceptable in Iran (it was removed as legal punishment in 1981 by Ayatollah Khomeni's order, and a moratorium was placed on it in 2002) and is certainly not acceptable by the wide majority of the 1+ billion Muslims worldwide. It does happen in certain parts of the world, but this is not a part of modern Muslim culture.
That being said, how is the movie itself? "The Stoning of Soraya M." is a good movie. While it is painted in the broadest possible strokes and the ending is mishandled, it does feature some strong performances and the story gathers enough momentum to be tragic and outrageous.
Ali (Negahban) has a problem. He wants to marry a young girl in the city. Only, he is already married to Soraya (Marno), a lovely woman and a devoted mother, and he "can't afford" a second wife (but can afford a fancy convertible. Go figure.). Enlisting the help of the weaselly local religious leader (Pourtash) and the gutless mayor Ebrahim (Diaan), he attempts to pass her off to the simple-minded mechanic Hashem (Sayyad), who recently lost his wife. But when that doesn't work, he opts for something far more cruel. The only one standing in his way is Zahrah (Aghdashloo), Soraya's aunt, who won't let Ali destroy a good woman for his own selfish reasons.
The three lead actors are excellent, elevating the broadly written script. They give their characters depth that isn't on the written page. Shohreh Aghdashloo is always a scene stealer, and the Iranian actress is in top form as the fiercely loyal Zahra. She loves Soraya, and will do anything to protect her. Mozan Marno imbues Soraya with strength and love. She is a good woman, both loving and kind. But even in her darkest moment, she still has the strength to call out everyone for their hypocrisy and their lies. Navid Negahban is perfectly detestable as the villain. Ali is so blackhearted and vile that the only reason anyone goes along with his selfish farce is that they are so afraid of him. As well they should be; he is both cunning and ruthless. No act of cruelty is beyond his twisted mind. Jim Caviezel appears in bookending scenes as a reporter who is a stand in for the audience.
What really holds "The Stoning of Soraya M" back as a film is a lack of nuance. This is not a subtle film, and I don't mean that as a criticism of the subject matter. Director Cyrus Nowrasteh does little to hide his outrage over what happened to an innocent woman. That's perfectly commendable. What I mean is that all the characters are types, and don't really grow or change over the course of the film. Soraya is a kind woman whose only crime was marrying a monster. Zahrah is desperate with an iron will. And Ali is a savage Svengali with no conscience. That's all well and good, except that's all they are.
But the film works. There's drama and tragedy, and as flatly as the characters are written, they're brought to life by a trio of good actors. So despite my reservations, I'm recommending the film.
Starring: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marno, Navid Negahban, Ali Pourtash, David Diaan, Parviz Sayyad
Rated R for A Disturbing Sequences of Cruel and Brutal Violence, and Brief Strong Language
I've taken a great pride in not letting my political or moral views cloud my judgement when reviewing films. After all, a movie is the artist's statement and should be viewed on those terms, not my own. So while I disagreed with the point of view of the Christian film "War Room," it did accomplish what it set out to do and was on some level entertaining (this does not include the scene where the lead character literally casts Satan from her house...I'm sorry, but my conscientiousness does not extend that far). By the same token, I shared the same viewpoints as Ale Abreu, but I elected not to recommend his experimental animated film "Boy and the World" because it was unbearably dull.
Why the disclaimer? Because I have very serious reservations about recommending "The Stoning of Soraya M," and the most egregious has absolutely nothing to do with its quality or lack thereof. I am concerned that, in an era of nationalist and anti-Muslim fervor in some areas, people will get the wrong idea. Call me politically correct or a social justice warrior, but I feel like I have to reiterate what should be obvious: while crimes like this do happen, they are not acceptable in Iran (it was removed as legal punishment in 1981 by Ayatollah Khomeni's order, and a moratorium was placed on it in 2002) and is certainly not acceptable by the wide majority of the 1+ billion Muslims worldwide. It does happen in certain parts of the world, but this is not a part of modern Muslim culture.
That being said, how is the movie itself? "The Stoning of Soraya M." is a good movie. While it is painted in the broadest possible strokes and the ending is mishandled, it does feature some strong performances and the story gathers enough momentum to be tragic and outrageous.
Ali (Negahban) has a problem. He wants to marry a young girl in the city. Only, he is already married to Soraya (Marno), a lovely woman and a devoted mother, and he "can't afford" a second wife (but can afford a fancy convertible. Go figure.). Enlisting the help of the weaselly local religious leader (Pourtash) and the gutless mayor Ebrahim (Diaan), he attempts to pass her off to the simple-minded mechanic Hashem (Sayyad), who recently lost his wife. But when that doesn't work, he opts for something far more cruel. The only one standing in his way is Zahrah (Aghdashloo), Soraya's aunt, who won't let Ali destroy a good woman for his own selfish reasons.
The three lead actors are excellent, elevating the broadly written script. They give their characters depth that isn't on the written page. Shohreh Aghdashloo is always a scene stealer, and the Iranian actress is in top form as the fiercely loyal Zahra. She loves Soraya, and will do anything to protect her. Mozan Marno imbues Soraya with strength and love. She is a good woman, both loving and kind. But even in her darkest moment, she still has the strength to call out everyone for their hypocrisy and their lies. Navid Negahban is perfectly detestable as the villain. Ali is so blackhearted and vile that the only reason anyone goes along with his selfish farce is that they are so afraid of him. As well they should be; he is both cunning and ruthless. No act of cruelty is beyond his twisted mind. Jim Caviezel appears in bookending scenes as a reporter who is a stand in for the audience.
What really holds "The Stoning of Soraya M" back as a film is a lack of nuance. This is not a subtle film, and I don't mean that as a criticism of the subject matter. Director Cyrus Nowrasteh does little to hide his outrage over what happened to an innocent woman. That's perfectly commendable. What I mean is that all the characters are types, and don't really grow or change over the course of the film. Soraya is a kind woman whose only crime was marrying a monster. Zahrah is desperate with an iron will. And Ali is a savage Svengali with no conscience. That's all well and good, except that's all they are.
But the film works. There's drama and tragedy, and as flatly as the characters are written, they're brought to life by a trio of good actors. So despite my reservations, I'm recommending the film.
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