The Stoning of Soraya M - 2008

Movie #134
5 stars

Set in 1986 Iran at the start of Khomeini's reign, director Cyrus Nowrasteh's drama tells the true story of Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), whose husband plots to have her falsely accused of adultery so he can divorce her and marry a young girl. French journalist Freidoune (Jim Caviezel) is pulled into Soraya's tragic story when he meets a desperate woman named Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo).

Cast: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marnò, James Caviezel, Navid Negahban, Ali Pourtash, David Diaan, Vida Ghahremani

Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh

Filming Location: An undisclosed location in the Middle East (how awesome is that)

Like: The cast was amazing!! Everyone did an excellent job. Especially the husband. The viewer starts to hate the husband right off the bat...solely because he just looks evil.

Like: The film was very moving. I started to feel for Soraya right away. The whole time I was watching it I still hoped that she would somehow get away...even though it was evident that she was dead. I think this is a hard feat...given the fact that the viewer knows her fate even from the title.














Dislike: Yes, i know the title gives it away but the stoning scene is just too much. The whole process, from her walking, to being buried waist deep, to her final breath, takes about 20 minutes. It is hardcore stuff! Maybe the scene was this way because the audience has already been preparing itself from the start...so the creators felt the need to go a little overboard. If they were going for shock effect, the story in itself is already disheartening. Is it not enough to murder an innocent woman? Do you have to show every strike?

Dislike: The side stories were rather shallow. The husband blackmailed the mullah for something the husband viewed in jail while he was working as a guard. But what was it? I wish I could tell you. The Aunt's story isn't very developed...or should I say not as developed as it could have been. I feel as though in order to get to know the story of Soraya M, one needs to understand the stories of her murderers.

















Overall recommendation: It may seem as though I am bashing this film more than I am praising it but its only because I don't want to give anything away. You should definitely watch this movie...but brace yourself for the stoning.

First Line (title card): Don't act like the hypocrite, who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran. - Hafez, 14th Century Iranian Poet

Last Line: The world will know!

The Queen and I - 2008

Movie #132

4.5 stars

Nahid Persson Sarvestani's thought-provoking documentary about her friendship with Queen Farah, the wife of the Shah of Iran, demonstrates how even those at most odds -- politically, idealistically -- can find middle ground and understanding. The royal answers questions about her husband's repressive principles, and the conversation becomes political and highly personal. Included with the film is a short called Liberation.

Cast: Empress Farah, Zinat S. Lloyd, Nahid Persson Sarvestani

Director: Nahid Persson Sarvestani





I will start with my dislike since there is only one: when Nahid would narrate, you could tell that she was reading. It was so obvious...obvious enough for it to be distracting.

Likes: I thought it was very objective...or as objective as it could have been given the fact that Nahid had spent a good part of her young adult life totally against her - supporting the overthrow of the shah.

If Farah (or her majesty as she liked to be called...even by her friend) wasn't as crazy as she was it may have not been as easy to get through. It is evident that she still views herself as the Empress by the way she carries herself in public.




















Even though Farah was a little full of herself it was nice to see her good natured side (despite the so called rumors about what happened to Iranians that were against the shah). One scene shows her reading "fan letters." One boy had wrote that he wanted an iPod. At first her response was that she can't give everyone everything that they want...but then she went on to say that she had bought a new iPod and she could give him her old one. On top of that gesture she called a man who had wrote to her. When he answered the phone, Farah introduced herself as the person you wrote the letter to....I guess for security reasons. But she wished his family well during a brief conversation. After she hung up, she said he probably wasn't expecting a phone call. Now who knows if she was just playing nice for the camera or if that's what she's really like.

The craziest thing about the documentary, in my eyes, is how every year, on the anniversary of the shah's death, a whole hell of a lot of people go to Egypt where the shah is buried. One lady even travels from Texas...every year.

It was sad when they talked about Farah's daughter Leila. She was 9 years old when the shah was forced into exile. She started modeling but suffered from anorexia and severe depression. In June of 2001 she was found in a London hotel. She had taken 5 times the lethal dose of sleeping pills. She normally took 40 pills...not the prescribed two. crazzzy.

Overall, this was a very interesting documentary. It was kinda weird to see the filmmaker featured so much. But in a way, that was the whole point of the documentary...these two women coming together to discuss their homeland. Both women were forced to leave but their thoughts about the rule of Iran was totally different. The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is because I don't think I would watch it again.