The Stoning of Soraya M (read The Stoning of Soraya M review) proved to be one of the most powerful and revolting film I have seen in a long time (and no, I'm not saying that to sound like that advertising whore for film posters that Rolling Stone's Peter Travers is).
Set in a remote Iranian village, the film tells the true story of a woman who was stoned to death after being wrongfully accused of cheating by her husband who wanted to get rid of her. Based on the eponymous bestseller, this film avoids the traps of melodrama and makes sure to not be interpreted as a critique of Islam. The Stoning of Soraya M takes on hypocrites using religion as a pretext and denounces a world where women are treated as second-rate citizens. Fueled by a documentary-like realism, this is a rought and uncompromising work, which ending is almost unbearable to watch - be warned that most of the audience had to close its eyes or was crying during the final sequence.
The film was followed by a Q&A featuring the director and the lead actress (the beautiful Shohreh Aghdashloo) and the LA film festival can also be credited for bringing a scholar who, among other things, explained that stoning wasn't part of the Koran.
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