out; I believe that characters, in general, are on top of everything, and the characters of this story are portrayed flawlessly. The villains are classic conspirators who you truly grow to resent because that is how good a job the actors do of representing them.
Behind every great screenplay and film stands a director firm and strong, and Nowrasteh did a superb job executing this movie. The nearly-20-minutes-long stoning sequence leaves me in utter shock every time I watch the film, even though I have seen it four times already! It is brutal, it is bloody, and it is very disturbing.
Moreover, two of the child actors featured in this film are current MMS students: Noor and Haya Al Taher, playing Kataneh and Malaka, Soraya’s daughters. A third is now an alumna, Abdullah Shaheen, and he plays Hashem’s son (Hashem being the man who had been pressured by Soraya’s husband to inform against her).
In conclusion, this film may not be everybody’s cup of tea, for it is truly chilling and gut wrenching; your heart will pound, and the sense of fear will get to your stomach. However, it has an important message to offer: how poverty, hatred, greed, and peer pressure can bring out the worst in people. So, if you would be willing to step out of the dark and witness society’s brutality, watch this movie and let out the truth!
Star Rating: 4/5
NC-18: no one under the age of 18 is admitted
by Haytham Bayazeed