The Stoning of Soraya M.
Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment | Release Date: June 26, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
9
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
The Stoning of Soraya M. goes well beyond its angry didacticism and its specific indictment of men's oppression of women to achieve the impact of a Greek tragedy through its masterful grasp of suspense and group psychology, and some superb acting. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterPeter Brunette
It's a powerful, shocking piece, and the denunciation of a system in which an accused woman has to prove her own innocence (while in the case of a man, his guilt has to be proven by others), is strong and clear and unforgettable. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The Stoning of Soraya M.”has such a powerful stoning sequence that I recommend it if only for its brutal ideological message. That the pitiful death of Soraya is followed by a false Hollywood upbeat ending involving tape recordings and silliness about a car that won't start is simply shameful. Nowrasteh, born in Colorado, attended the USC Film School. Is that what they teach there? Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy Biancolli
The sum is difficult to watch. But this isn't a film against Islam or religion in general: A clear distinction is made between Allah's more vicious followers and the mercy of Allah himself. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A timely story, given the political upheaval in Iran, it is emotionally explosive. It also is profoundly compelling. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
The Stoning of Soraya M.'s drawn-out torture sequence is harrowing and lurid. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderCliff Doerksen
Based on a French true-crime best seller, this gory, ham-fisted hybrid of social-issue picture and horror film exerts a crude but undeniable power. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
This broadside against sharia law lacks the finesse of an import, but it's effectively melodramatic. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The last thing I want to do is represent The Stoning of Soraya M. as entertainment, summer or otherwise. This is classic tragedy in semimodern dress that means to horrify, and does so more successfully than any film in recent memory. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
As with so many message movies, this one trades ­nuance for naked outrage. The filmmakers'heartfelt intent is admirable, but right now they’re competing with a more compellingly told reality. Read full review
50
Village VoiceVadim Rizov
This is basically self-congratulatory fare for people who feel more "politically conscious" when reminded that women in the Islamic world can have it rough. Right now, you're better off just watching the news. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Director Nowrasteh seems to think the only way to save lives is to sensationalize death. You could trek to the theater and have this movie whack you upside the head. You could also just mail a check for $10 to the human rights group of your choice. Read full review
50
New York PostV.A. Musetto
It also gives another black eye to Iranian fundamentalists. It is most unfortunate, then, that the film isn't better. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
A slow, inexorable slog to the titular event -- a public execution so inconceivably violent and brutal the movie practically dares you not to look away. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
Though The Stoning of Soraya M.'s heart is in the right place, its head is lost in storm clouds of anger. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
The film oddly mirrors "The Passion of the Christ," as a show trial leads inexorably toward an almost sadistically filmed public execution (it doesn't hurt that Jim Caviezel plays the reporter). Like that movie, it gets its point across with all the subtlety, sorry to say, of a rock upside the head. Read full review
40
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Thoroughly blurs the line between high-minded outrage and lurid torture-porn. Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Nowrasteh constantly overplays his hand, not realizing that some horrors speak for themselves. Read full review
30
Washington PostJan Stuart
Iranian American director Cyrus Nowrasteh, co-writing with wife Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, has amplified the basic elements of Suraya's story into the worst kind of exploitive Hollywood melodrama, presented under the virtuous guise of moral outrage. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A classic case of preaching to the choir, since it’s doubtful the film will reach many of the minds that need changing. Read full review
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