Movies That Will Change Your Life: The Stoning of Soraya M.
I am not sure if I am in the right mindset to write about this film yet.
I can say one thing, however, I have never been to a movie-going experience like the one for The Stoning of Soraya M.
As the movie ended and the credits rolled, there was silence in the theater. As the sold-out theater poured out into the lobby, more than 70% of the audience emerged sobbing. As I went to the bathroom, there were grown men with tears rolling down their face. I can only imagine that it was the same reaction a church would have upon viewing The Passion of the Christ. That film did not really speak to me (because I am Jewish), but The Stoning of Soraya M. transcends religions. It is a film about the human condition–how a country is able to treat the women of its population as dirt. The Stoning of Soraya M. is an eye-opening film about the brutal world of radical Islam set in Iran. For the past few weeks, our televisions, our computer screens and our Twitter feeds have been filled with information about the rigged election of Iran and the signs of a blossoming revolution as a result. Many have shown support for the cause by changing their Twitter user pic to have a green tint. But what does that really mean? I feel as if many have been blindly supporting the cause without having an actual understanding of the situation. It does not help that cable news coverage does little to tell the personal stories of the people but focuses more on the overall picture.
Yes, the image of thousands of Iranians taking to the streets shouting “Death to the Dictator” is very powerful, but it is all very impersonal. It is the video of a woman–a young woman– who was shot amidst the uprising that captured the world’s attention. She was shot in broad daylight and then fell to the ground and slowly bled to death. It was this image that was broadcast around the world because it truly captured the devastation and chaos of the event. The woman in the video was given the name Neda which means “voice” in Farsi. Neda has become the symbol of the uprising. I bring up Neda because there are a lot of similarities between her and Soraya. They are in essence both victims of a cruel theocracy which pits women as the lowest members of society but their personal stories have done more than any we could have ever imagined. Neda and Soraya could be any woman in your life. They could be your sister, your mother, your wife, even your daughter. It is the preservation and circulation of these stories that will be creating the change of tomorrow.
From the start of the film and even from the film’s title, we are aware that there is going to be a stoning and that the person at the center of it will be Soraya. You think that the film’s title would be warning enough. You have no idea how wrong you are. I do not think anything could have prepared me for what I was about to view, but I do know that after seeing what I saw, I have come out a changed man. The actual stoning of Soraya is brutal; it is no hold barred and it is violent. It will haunt you and,to tell you the truth, I would not have it any other way. There are many negative reviews for the film which point to the stoning scene as being too graphic and “unnecessary.” I could not agree anymore. There is an old belief in Hollywood which I am going to nickname the “Jaws theory.” It is the idea that if you have something horrific in your film such as a man- eating shark, then the less of it you see in the film the more terrifying it is. The actual shark is only in the film Jaws for mere minutes. The idea is that you leave more to the imagination which is supposedly more frightening. I disagree because I think that I, as well as the majority of the population, have no idea what a stoning actually is. Sure, you know that a person stands there and rocks are thrown at them. But there is so much more to the whole process. It was beyond disturbing and difficult to watch, but I came out of the scene feeling like I had a new perspective on life as well as the Iranian crisis. Somehow all the images of women taking to the streets to fight back so that in the future women can one day have equal rights and never facing stoning again seem so much more powerful. The film gives you a full understanding of what this revolution means.
I think what I most want to express is how disgusted I was with myself as I left the film. I felt so ungrateful for all of the advantages that we have just by living in the United States of America. I think that we take so much for granted in our everyday lives. We try so hard to find all the bad in our lives. We have to find something to complain of or something to be upset about. But if we took all the energy we invest in negative emotions and applied them to our happiness, that we would truly value life so much more. I am disgusted in myself for getting mad at such petty things; for getting angryat my mom not wanting to listen to my stories when in actuality I was not sharing them with her. I am upset that I get mad at my father for eating one bagel too many. I am upset for yelling at him because he insists on taking a picture of my every move. I am upset that I do not appreciate every single thing my brother does for me enough. I am upset that I get mad at my best friend Katrina because we do not always share the same taste in music. I am upset that with my friendships/relationships it is so easy for me to forget about all the good and allow the bad to be the only thing I remember. I am upset that I am ever upset. If you are reading this blog then I want to make it very clear that we have NO right whatsoever to EVER be mad, to EVER feel neglected, to EVER feel deserving of anything. We have so much yet we do not take the time to actually realize it. We always hear the phrase “stop and smell the roses” but I think the majority of people, including myself, are moving too fast to even realize that there are roses close to us. I am imploring you to forgive that friend who let you down, to spend the day and go to lunch with your mom/dad and to take a moment and thank those that are in your life. Be grateful for what you have and the people that occupy your life because life is too short to fight. Life is too short to hang on to a grudge and life is too short to waste your time on a silly emotion called anger. This is becoming ridiculous but it is just an effect of what this film did to me. The Stoning of Soraya M. makes you reevaluate every aspect of your life and for a film to have the power to do that….well that is something that not even the best shrink can do.
I have included the trailer below.