The Stoning of Soraya M.

I watched the Stoning of Soraya M. last night. Incredible film, but also horrific to watch.

I'd still recommend it though. If you have a weak stomach or don't like the sight of blood, there is one bit you definitely want to turn away from. Sometimes I get a bit queasy watching those bits, but in this film, I simply couldn't turn away. I did flinch a couple of times, but it was one of those moments when what's on screen is so terrible you just can't take your eyes off it. I literally could not believe this was a true story.

Basically, it's about a young woman in 1980's Iran called Soraya. She's in an unhappy marriage with a man who wants a divorce so he can marry a fourteen year old girl. Soraya has four children to this man, two daughters and two older sons, the sons her husband has turned against her. That must be horrible enough, without him wanting to ditch her for a kid.

Of course, she wants to have the divorce, but for the sake of her two daughters, she can't. She doesn't have a job or any source of income and her husband does not want to pay support because he doesn't want to pay for two families. He doesn't care about what happens to her or his daughters, so long as he can get a divorce, take his sons to the city and marry a fourteen year old. The longer Soraya doesn't say okay, the more he beats her. It's terrible.

Her husband, Ali, unable to wait anymore, blackmails the Mullah (a religious official) to convince Soraya to go ahead with the divorce, but when this doesn't work, he resorts to a more malicious tactic that eventually turns her into a criminal in the eyes of her village and gets her stoned to death - hence the title.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you, it really is a heart-breaking movie to watch. Not like soppy romance films such as Dear John or Remember Me, a real heart-breaker. It makes you hate society, hate the people involved, and worry about the lack of common sense in such religious places. But, like I said before, it's one of those inspirational movies you have to watch. One of the greats. If you ever get a chance to rent it from somewhere, do it. I'd recommend getting a really happy film for afterwards, but trust me on this one and watch this film!

Huge thanks to my boyfriend for introducing it to me. I wasn't entirely sure if I was happy or not that he had, it was so upsetting! But now I'm okay with it, because it was a good film. The acting is brilliant too!

If you watch it, let me know what you think :)