The Stoning of Soraya M

Excellent and unforgettable.
Like many an excellent film, this one is difficult to watch, but well worth it. It is a fine film that should be supported, and circulated, and admired. It derives it's power from its clear and shocking narrative and from the outstanding performances of its cast, and its unsparing attention to the suffering of Soraya M. who is stoned to death in her village in Iran. The fact that people are being stoned today in a number of countries is as horrifying as it is true. What can we do to stop this barbaric practice? What can we do to support the women in these countries who cannot defend themselves against laws that denigrate their value and impose upon them unfair standards for their defense in criminal proceedings? --- This is a brave film for focusing on one such case, and the egregious cruelty heaped on the victim. And it leaves the viewer wondering what a stoning means for all the people of a village who participate in it, including children who gather the stones. Whatever one...

Excellent film with a very important message!
"The Stoning of Soraya M." is a must see film on all levels. This film is even more stunning on Blu-ray high definition and will leave you speechless. Tastefully done, director Cyrus Nowrasteh has made one of the most important films ever to be made about the inequalities in the Middle East.

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Freidoune Sahebjam, a French-Iranian journalist (played in film by Jim Caviezel), wrote The Stoning of Soraya M which is based on his own experience of being forced to stop in a remote Iranian village after his car broke down. He was one of the first to report on the troubles in the Bahá'í Faith community in Iran.

While waiting for his broken car to be fixed, Freidoune is approached by Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo) who is the aunt of Soraya. Zahra notices that Freidoune has a tape recorder and asks to speak with him. The townspeople assure him that she is crazy but he humors her anyway. Once the recorder is placed on the table, Zahra begins...

Unforgettable
I can guarantee that this will be one of the most powerful, riveting, important films you've ever seen or ever will see. I know people who have told me their lives were literally changed by it. DO NOT be put off by what you may think is the gruesomeness of the subject matter; yes, this compelling tale is horrifying (though not as horrifying as the reality of stoning), but is also surprisingly uplifting and even laced with moments of beauty. I promise that you will not regret owning this film.

As other reviewers have pointed out, the direction by screenwriter/director Cyrus Nowrasteh is outstanding and the acting is Oscar-worthy throughout - and not just by Shohreh Aghdashloo (who plays Soraya's aunt) or Mozhan Marno (Soraya). Navid Negahban is one of the all-time best cinematic bad guys as Soraya's ruthless husband.

This is based on a true story that took place in the decade or so after the Khomeini revolution in Iran in 1979, but astonishing as it may be to...

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