The Stoning of Soraya M. (Persian: .سنگسار ثريا م, romanized: Sangsâr Sorayâ M.) is a 2009 Persian-language American drama film adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam's 1990 book La Femme Lapidée. The film takes place during the rule of Khomeini after the overthrown of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The film is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh, and stars Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (as Zahra), Jim Caviezel (as Freidoune Sahebjam, the foreign journalist), and Mozhan Marnò (as Soraya Manutchehri, the title character). The Stoning of Soraya M. had its world premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Director's Choice Award. It was also the second runner-up for the Cadillac People's Choice Award. The book has been banned in Iran.

Plot[]

A true story is told of Soraya Manutchehri, a 35-year-old married woman, received capital punishment and stoned to death because of false accusations in the remote village of Kuhpayeh, Iran, in 1986.

Stranded in Kuhpayeh by car trouble, the journalist Freidoune Sahebjam has his car towed away thanks to a passing bus taken to the village for repair. A woman named Zahra is burying the remains of a human female when she notices Freidoune passing by and is intrigued. She follows him, but the village's mullah, and Ebrahim the mayor, interject. Zahra discreetly threw messages to Freidoune that lead to her house. Initially skeptical, he gets interested and is welcome to Zahra with a harrowing tale to talk about her niece, Soraya, and the bloody circumstances of Soraya's death by stoning the previous day. The two sit down as Zahra recounts the story to Freidoune, who is requested to record the conversation. The journalist must escape with his life to tell the story to the rest of the world.

Soraya lived with a family of two sons and two daughters, but her husband Ghorban-Ali who works as a prison guard is abusive and ambitious, though Soraya never complains. He wants to take his two sons and leave his two daughters that he refuses to take responsibility of, nor return Soraya's dowry, so he can marry a 14-year-old girl. Ali's marriage to the teenager is conditional upon Ali's ability to save the girl's father, a doctor sentenced to death for an unspecified crime. Ali tries to get the mullah to convince Soraya to grant him a divorce, which Soraya cannot agree with because the barren land that was offered to her is insufficient to sustain three people. The self-respect mullah did not want to get involve until Ali blackmails him by making threats to tell the village about his past as a Shah loyalist. Soraya and her two daughters move in with Zahra for protection.

Hashem, the village's mechanic, goes to Zahra for help as his wife is terminally ill. After the woman dies, Hashem, now a widower, the higher officials appoint Soraya to care for Hashem's disabled son in turn for some money, and she accepts the job believing this is a way to become independent, unaware this was the opportunity that Ali been waiting for. Abetted by venal and corrupt village laws, Ali uses the situation to spread lies that Soraya is being unfaithful to him as the penalty will she be stoned, knowing if Soraya were gone, he would remarry and not have to pay child support either. Ali and the mullah start a rumor about her infidelity so they can charge her with adultery. They need one more witness to her "infidelity" to be able to formally charge her; manipulate and threaten Hashem into backing up their story. Zahra hears about the gossip from her friends. Ali then drags Soraya through the streets, beating her and publicly declaring of being unfaithful. Zahra intervenes, and takes her niece, Ali, and the mayor (a former Shah supporter) to talk privately. They bring Hashem to the home, and, after he lies as instructed, a trial is pursued. Only men, including Soraya's father, are allowed while Soraya is confined in Zahra's house. She is quickly indicted. Only the women seem to believe in Soraya's innocence except their protest is fruitless since women aren't treated equally among the men. Zahra tries to flee with her and after realizing she cannot, pleads with the mayor for her life, even offering to switch places with Soraya. The conviction is upheld. Soraya surrenders to her fate and hugs her daughters for the last time. The day of Soraya's execution, Hashem looks aways, thinking he lied for his son's life.

Soraya's father is given the first stone to throw, but he misses her repeatedly. A woman in the crowd pleads to the mayor that the stones missing are a sign that Soraya is innocent, but none of the men listen. Ali takes up stones and throws them himself. Her two sons are also forced to throw stones. Hashem is given stones too but instead walks away in tears. The crowd finally joins in, and Soraya is stoned to death. Overnight, the women carry her dead body to a riverbank to clean it.

In the present, Freidoune shed tears by the time Zahra completes the story. Freidoune is willing to publish the tape, but Zahra suspected men of the village will try to stop him and hides the tape for precaution. Hashem informs the journalist that his car is fixed. The mullah and Hashem are then informed by Ali that his marriage to the teenage girl is off, implying that he could not spare her father from execution, resulting his intentions all for nothing. Angry at Ali and the mullah, Hashem admits to the mayor that he was lied to. Ebrahim is regretful of Soraya's death, but since he personally conducted the trial, he is also afraid to profess. When Freidoune attempts to leave, the cautious mullah orders a Revolutionary Guard to stop him at gunpoint. They seize his tape recorder and destroy all random tapes. Freidoune drives further away from the village. Zahra then appears with the actual tape in her hand. Men attempt to run after the car as the journalist drives away and escapes. Zahra triumphantly declares that now the whole world will know of the injustice that has happened.

It is narrated that Freidoune published the story, The Stoning of Soraya M., it became an international bestseller, focusing attention on the practice of stoning in Iran, as well as the lack of women's rights there. The only photograph of Soraya is depicted when she was 9-years-old.

Image Gallery[]