The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Raymond W

  
  The Stoning of Soraya M. is a film that every one should see. It is an extremely powerful, shocking, heart-wrenching and unforgettable film that looks into rural Iranian life, and the horrifying fate a woman might be forced into. Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marno and the rest of the… More
  The Stoning of Soraya M. is a film that every one should see. It is an extremely powerful, shocking, heart-wrenching and unforgettable film that looks into rural Iranian life, and the horrifying fate a woman might be forced into. Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marno and the rest of the cast deliver superb performances that should have gotten award attention. NOTE: This film contains a long and very graphic, disturbing stoning sequence.

• Jim H

  
  <i>The Stoning of Soraya M.</i> tells the story of a woman whose husband conspires to convict her of adultery. The isolated village strictly follows traditional Islamic law, and as a result of her husband's conspiracy, Soraya is brutally stoned. The performances by… More
  <i>The Stoning of Soraya M.</i> tells the story of a woman whose husband conspires to convict her of adultery. The isolated village strictly follows traditional Islamic law, and as a result of her husband's conspiracy, Soraya is brutally stoned. The performances by Jim Caviezel, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Mozhan Marno are all quite strong, and it has been a long time since I've seen anything as blood-curdlingly sick as the stoning sequence. It is appropriately hard to watch. Despite how well-made the film may be, it never rises to anything more than a harsh polemic. Even a first-year journalism student would realize that the story, as it is presented in the film, is based only on one biased source, and she wasn't present at many of the most damning conversations. I haven't read the book, so I'm not in a position to truly doubt this story's veracity, but it was incumbent upon the director to present the story more credibly. Additionally, this event allegedly occurred in 1986; the book was published in 1990; why is it that the film doesn't come out until 2008? Gramsci might say that cultural artifacts "spontaneously" appear as a result of the then-contemporary political climate. He doesn't suggest that there's any type of conspiracy, but it does strike me as odd that this film finds a receptive audience during a time when U.S. foreign policy was rattling its saber at Iran and vice versa. Overall, this is a well-made film, but it's polemic as hell. You may find yourself agreeing with its political message, and to the degree that I whole-heartedly support women's rights, so do I, but Western audiences should be careful not to conflate what occurred in a remote village in Iran during the '80s with Islam or all of present-day Iran.

• Thomas J

  
  A powerful story of what is the possible lives of many more than we realize! Difficult at times to watch, but worth the effort. Tells a story few know but many need to hear!

• Cynthia S

  
  Holy cow. This is one movie that isnt for the weak of heart. Once again I cannot believe what some people are capable of. This country should be wiped from the face of the earth...after removing the women and children, of course. I am not going to forget this movie any time soon

• Bruce B

  
  A very disturbing film that shows the pitfalls of the Islamic religion, shortly after the fall in 1988 a man accuses his wife of adultery in order to be rid of her so he can marry a 14 year old, shows village corruption between mayor and so called religious leaders. Allah Akbar my… More
  A very disturbing film that shows the pitfalls of the Islamic religion, shortly after the fall in 1988 a man accuses his wife of adultery in order to be rid of her so he can marry a 14 year old, shows village corruption between mayor and so called religious leaders. Allah Akbar my ***. The movie itself and acting is worth 5 Stars. Question is to you have the Balls to watch it and learn the truth of what Americans call being tolerant. 5 Stars

• Jeff "

  
  Not since watching United 93 has a film been so disturbing. This film is an account of the cruelty done towards women in Arab countries. Women in these countries if they commit adultery get stoned to death, a despicable and inhumane act. This film made me feel uneasy from start to… More
  Not since watching United 93 has a film been so disturbing. This film is an account of the cruelty done towards women in Arab countries. Women in these countries if they commit adultery get stoned to death, a despicable and inhumane act. This film made me feel uneasy from start to finish as by the end, you know exactly whats going to happen. The Stoning Of Soraya M. is a true account of a woman falsely accused of adultery so that her husband could marry a 14 year old girl. A hard film to watch, Stoning Of Soraya M. is an important film to watch as it exposes these despicable acts of inhuman torture on innocent women. An important film, The stoning Of Soraya M. will definitely make you think.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Don't act like the hypocrite, who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran."</i> A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra...… More
  <i>"Don't act like the hypocrite, who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran."</i> A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra... <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> The movie is based on a true story about a woman being stoned to death by her own village. It is a powerful movie with a strong message. The movie is not just about a stoning of an innocent woman, however, but manages to capture some of the worst injustices toward women. Even though the movie is unpleasant it is a very important and necessary movie to see. If she had to withstand it, you can watch it. Women are being stoned to death even in this day because people refuse to open their eyes and feel compassion to those who are without their human rights. Go see this movie, even if it's unpleasant, even if you lose the illusion of a perfect world and a few night's sleep. A problem cannot be fixed if it's not acknowledged.

• Randy T

  
  "Don't act like the hypocrite who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran" -Hafez Heart wrenching true story about an Iranian woman who was falsely accused of adultery and stoned to death. There should be a special kind of hell awaiting anyone… More
  "Don't act like the hypocrite who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran" -Hafez Heart wrenching true story about an Iranian woman who was falsely accused of adultery and stoned to death. There should be a special kind of hell awaiting anyone who commits such egregious crimes in the name of God.

• familiar s

  
  Shohreh Aghdashloo may be a celebrated actress, but her performance was disastrous here & a constant distraction which I tried to overlook, but couldn't. Movie on the whole is watchable, the execution being quite ordinary. I won't specifically recommend it as it failed… More
  Shohreh Aghdashloo may be a celebrated actress, but her performance was disastrous here & a constant distraction which I tried to overlook, but couldn't. Movie on the whole is watchable, the execution being quite ordinary. I won't specifically recommend it as it failed to live up to my expectations (I think I must admit here that my expectations were high since its supposedly based on a true story of miscarriage of justice & I'm a sucker for such movies). Mind it, I'm rating the movie here, & not its intention. Besides, I appreciate it if the intention was to let the world know what's going on in some remote corner, but don't we all already know it???

• Walter M

  
  In "The Stoning of Soraya M.," a French journalist's(James Caviezel) car breaks down in rural Iran and has it towed to a nearby village. He manages to persuade the mechanic with cash to expedite repairs, so he can reach the border by nightfall. In the meantime, he… More
  In "The Stoning of Soraya M.," a French journalist's(James Caviezel) car breaks down in rural Iran and has it towed to a nearby village. He manages to persuade the mechanic with cash to expedite repairs, so he can reach the border by nightfall. In the meantime, he goes to a cafe where he is accosted by Zahra(Shohreh Aghdashloo) who is dismissed by her fellow locals as being a crazy old woman. Regardless, she has quite the story to tell about her niece, Soraya(Mozhan Marno). Soraya, mother of two sons and two daughters, rejects a divorce offer by her abusive husband Ali(Navid Negahban) that would leave her with no money to support their daughters. He wants to take their sons to the city, so he can marry Mehri(Laila Qutub) who is 14. Soraya also turns down the offer of Sheik Hassan(Ali Pourtash) to become his sigheh(Temporary wife or prostitute, your pick.). Instead she goes to work for Hashem(Parviz Sayyad), a recent widower, to help with the cleaning. Based on a true story and getting bonus points for being filmed in Farsi, "The Stoning of Soraya M." handles its intense subject matter well with matter of factness in building to its powerful climax. And the graphic violence is as necessary as the early scene of Soraya at the riverbank in making sure we understand exactly how barbaric stoning is and that we never forget. In general, the movie puts the subject of violence against women under a harsh spotlight, not only in Iran, but all over the world. That's not to say this movie is not without its share of faults, particularly the ending and its fondness for filming billowing fabric. For the record, I'll file the journalist's fortuitous arrival under divine providence, contrasting well with the hypocrisy on display.

• Jeffrey M

  
  Disturbing and often hard to watch, this telling of a true story serves as a great indictment against injustice, specifically the kind made possible by Sharia Law. The whole time we know what's about to take place, but it seems so senseless, so evil, that it's hard to grasp… More
  Disturbing and often hard to watch, this telling of a true story serves as a great indictment against injustice, specifically the kind made possible by Sharia Law. The whole time we know what's about to take place, but it seems so senseless, so evil, that it's hard to grasp what's really happening.

• Dannielle A

  
  Extremely heart-breaking, well-done tragedy based on a true story with an unexpectedly triumphant ending. The acting was superb... especially by Shohreh Aghdashloo who plays Zahra, a head-strong, capable, independent woman who speaks out for women's rights both in the movie as an… More
  Extremely heart-breaking, well-done tragedy based on a true story with an unexpectedly triumphant ending. The acting was superb... especially by Shohreh Aghdashloo who plays Zahra, a head-strong, capable, independent woman who speaks out for women's rights both in the movie as an activist in real life. I read somewhere that every 8 hours, a woman is stoned in Iran. This MUST stop! Especially since many times there is not sufficient evidence that adultery actually took place.

• Cinema F

  
  Set in a remote village in an un-named Middle Eastern country in the comparatively recent years of revised fundamentalism, this extremely distressing film tells the true story of one woman, Soraya M. (Mozhan Marno). Soraya was falsely accused of adultery so that her husband could… More
  Set in a remote village in an un-named Middle Eastern country in the comparatively recent years of revised fundamentalism, this extremely distressing film tells the true story of one woman, Soraya M. (Mozhan Marno). Soraya was falsely accused of adultery so that her husband could quickly, and legally, free of her, in order to marry another, a 14 year old girl. Although the charges were completely false, Soraya was found guilty -- the penalty for such a crime being death by public stoning. The events surrounding her death were hushed up until a journalist makes an unexpected pit stop in her village seeking assistance for a mechanical problem with his car. Finally seeing an opportunity to reveal what took place, Soraya's aunt, Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo) cornered the journalist and told him everything. The journalist then fled the village and turned Zahra's story into a book which irrevocably exposed the truth. It became an international best-seller. Although the Stoning of Soraya M. is a flawed film -- with its moments of melodrama, the sickening violence of the stoning scene and it's predictability-- it deals with such important issues relating to the appaling conditions women and their lack of basic rights in many countries of the world, that it should be compulsary viewing for all.

• Leo L

  
  An exceptional depiction of the shrewdness of one's own sly fortitude upon others in the schemes of religious and political views. Obviously, this appears to reflect unkindly on those who follow, and practice, the faith of Islam but one must also remember that these… More
  An exceptional depiction of the shrewdness of one's own sly fortitude upon others in the schemes of religious and political views. Obviously, this appears to reflect unkindly on those who follow, and practice, the faith of Islam but one must also remember that these "honor" actions, and killings, are evident elsewhere in other religions as well. The fact that they are committed for deplorable, and heinous, reasons is an actual sickening thought, and that individuals would impose such inhumane actions for whatever selfish gains they seek. Soraya Manutchehri was thirty-five years old. A wife and a mother, she had refused to give her abusive husband a divorce just so he could free himself of responsibility. Living in a remote village in Kupayeh, Iran, a divorce without financial support would imply a harsh future for herself and her children. To further his plans, Soraya's husband Ghorban-Ali accuses her of adultery, and sets forth the punishment of stoning. Great cast- Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marnò, James Caviezel, Parviz Sayyad, David Diaan, and Ali Pourtash. Amazing performances by Shohreh Aghdashloo and Mozhan Marnò. Worthy!

• Donna D

  
  Very powerful movie. The film angered me of the injustice that was taken upon an innocent woman that was wrongfully accused for her husbands own selfish acts. The story was well written and directed with such beauty and a compelling story that will haunt me today. I cried at her… More
  Very powerful movie. The film angered me of the injustice that was taken upon an innocent woman that was wrongfully accused for her husbands own selfish acts. The story was well written and directed with such beauty and a compelling story that will haunt me today. I cried at her sorrow for her fear of dying...and her children. A must see for everyone!

• Daisy M

  
  The stoning of Soraya M was based on a true story about a woman being stoned to death by her town village. It was a powerful movie with a strong message. The movie was not just about stoning of an innocent woman,but managed to capture some of the worst injustices toward women in some… More
  The stoning of Soraya M was based on a true story about a woman being stoned to death by her town village. It was a powerful movie with a strong message. The movie was not just about stoning of an innocent woman,but managed to capture some of the worst injustices toward women in some parts of Iran. Soraya M was the victim,accused by her husband to have committed adultery, Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh, he brought up here how religion can be evil and corrupt, and how people do these brutalities in the name of religion and stupid laws made by themselves.The rest of the cast was mostly Persian actors and actresses,who showed here some excellent performances. The need to activate women rights and human rights must be everywhere, and I hope after seeing movies like this, it could wake people up to it even more. All the physical violence in this movie was played out in emotional violence, showing us what these poor women had to endure in these countries.I have no words for this injustice.

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