The Stoning of Soraya M. (2009)
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AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: The Stoning of Soraya M. nearly transcends its deficiencies through the sheer strength of its subject material, but ultimately drowns out its message with an inappropriately heavy-handed approach.
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Cast
as Zahra
as Ali
as Ebrahim
as Mullah
as Mrs. Massoud
as Soraya
as Hashem
as Morteza Ramazani
as Leila
as Kataneh
as Malaka
as Warden
as Second Woman
as Bita
as Mrs. Hashem
as Mehri
as Reza
as Kamran
as Mohsen
as Mourning Woman
as Mourning Woman
as Mourning Woman
as Ali's Friend
as Ali's Friend
as Ali's Friend
as Ringmaster
as Circus Boy
as Circus Boy
as Freidoune Sahebjam
as Revolutionary Guard
as Monkey Man
as Circus Drummer
as Servant Girl
as Servant Girl
as Yahya Hussein
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Critic Reviews for The Stoning of Soraya M.
All Critics (82) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (35) | DVD (2)
Whatever its dramatic flaws, and they are many, this is a movie that, in essence, is more than a movie.
Despite some wonderful performances, the plot plods inexorably and with sickening predictability towards the inevitable conclusion, but nothing can prepare us for the actual event, which Nowrasteh films in real time and in shocking detail.
Though The Stoning of Soraya M.' s heart is in the right place, its head is lost in storm clouds of anger.
The spoiler is in the title of The Stoning of Soraya M., a powerful, relentlessly brutal drama about Iranian capital punishment.
Although The Stoning is efficiently made, it is ultimately a cheat.
This broadside against sharia law lacks the finesse of an import, but it's effectively melodramatic, particularly because of the strong performance of Iranian-born actress Shoreh Aghdashloo
Audience Reviews for The Stoning of Soraya M.
Anyone interested in what goes on in religio-fascist cultures should see this horrifying and moving film about a woman tortured and ostracized for little reason other than that she's a woman. Powerful film.
Super Reviewer
This movie portrays a moment in1986 in an area of the world able to uphold the social graces of the Old Testament era. It is here that women can be bartered into marriage by their parents at the age of 13. They can be accused of adultery and be burdened with proving their innocence rather than burdening the accuser with proof of guilt. Lastly, women convicted of adultery can be stoned to death by their village and adulterous pedophile husbands in the name of righteousness. The film doesn't do any more than furiously outline this infuriating story. There is no attempt to understand the deep-seated cultural influences that prevent these values from evolving. A 2010 Pew research poll of Arab nations found that 84% of Egyptians favored the death penalty for anyone who leaves Islam, 82% believed adulterers should be stoned to death, and 77% favored cutting off the hands of robbers. Where is the movie that at least attempts to explore why?
Super Reviewer
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.
Super Reviewer
The Stoning of Soraya M. Quotes
| Hashem: | You made me lie!... You've stoned her for nothing! |
| Zahra: | Women are guilty, men are innocent. Isn't it so? |
| Soraya: | Smiling is not illegal |
| Zahra: | Shockingly moving |