The Stoning of Soraya M. 2009

In the bleak landscape of the Iranian village of Kuhpayeh, a journalist named Freidoune finds himself stranded due to mechanical issues. His unexpected meeting with Zahra thrusts him into a heart-wrenching odyssey as she shares the devastating story of her niece Soraya, who suffered a brutal stoning just a day before. As Zahra recounts her harrowing tale, the journalist diligently documents their conversation, becoming increasingly entwined in the oppressive web of lies and corruption surrounding them.

At the core of this tragic narrative is Ali, Soraya’s cruel husband, who desires to be rid of her in order to marry a 14-year-old girl. His devious scheme involves manipulating the influential mullah in the village by revealing secrets from Ali’s dark past as a former convict. This manipulative play allows Ali to coerce the mullah into pressuring Soraya for a divorce, ostensibly in exchange for saving the life of the young girl’s father, a doctor unjustly sentenced to death.

Ali’s sinister ultimate intention is to eliminate Soraya and secure control over her two sons. When a village woman passes away, Ali seizes this cruel opportunity to engineer a series of events that would lead to Soraya’s doom. He persuades Zahra to convince Soraya to assist the grieving widower, utilizing this scenario to spread malicious rumors of Soraya’s imagined infidelity. This underhanded strategy aims to discredit her completely before orchestrating her stoning, freeing him from any obligation of child support.

In collusion with the mullah and the mayor, Ali aims to obliterate Soraya’s reputation by manipulating the widower into supporting their contrived narrative of adultery. Freidoune, caught in the turmoil, watches in despair as Ali publicly degrades Soraya, brutally assaulting her and making false accusations. Zahra, desperate to save her niece’s life, implores the mayor to reconsider, even offering to take her niece’s place. Yet, her pleas fall on deaf ears, as Soraya is inexorably condemned to a horrific fate.

As Freidoune endeavors to escape the village and unveil Soraya’s tragic plight to the world, he finds himself deeper than ever in a maze of corruption and deceit. This oppressive environment not only threatens his safety but also compels him to fight for the truth and expose the grim realities lurking beneath the surface of this isolated Iranian village.

As the dreadful ritual of stoning begins, Soraya’s father is given the first chance to deliver judgment, but he falters, a grave foreshadowing of the tragedy to unfold. A desperate woman in the crowd implores the mayor to acknowledge the warning signs – stones that miss their target – hinting at Soraya’s innocence. However, the predominantly male crowd remains unmoved by her cries. It is Ali who takes justice into his own hands, hurling the stones with the grim resolution of someone who is ultimately filled with regret, especially as his own sons are forced to join in this horrific act. The widower, faced with the stones, cannot bring himself to participate and walks away in tears, a stark contradiction to the surrounding apathy. When the crowd finally joins in the stoning, Soraya’s life ebbs away amid the senseless brutality.

In a moment of levity amidst the surrounding horror, the widower informs the journalist that his car has been repaired, a seemingly minor detail overshadowed by the grave injustices inflicted upon Soraya. In a twist of fate, the mullah and the widower come face-to-face with Ali, who announces he is canceling his marriage to the young girl, suggesting he couldn’t bear to save her father from execution. Indignant over Ali’s betrayal and the mullah’s role in this misdeed, the widower confesses to earlier deceit. As Freidoune prepares for his departure, the mullah orders a member of the Revolutionary Guard to stop him at gunpoint, seizing his tape recorder and obliterating its contents. Standing resilient, Zahra reemerges, wielding the true recording that will shine a light on the horrific injustice they have endured, an unwavering symbol of hope confronting the relentless oppression.