March 12 2013 – Its not everyday that a movie plays out like a slow burning confessional right from its opening salvo. But director Atiq Rahimi, the Afghan born, French based authors cinematic adaptation of The Patience Stone creates a multi-layered odyssey through the revelations of a neglected Afghan wife to her abusive, now comatose husband.
Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, (deliberately left without a name to further emphasize the struggles and subjugation of all women), commands the screen in this highly demanding portrayal as she finds the courage to feed, pray, wash, and protect her husband, Hamid Djavadan and their two daughters throughout the constant shelling by militia groups. He can’t move and she won’t leave him so a intimate first person narrative emerges as Golshifteh patiently details her 10 years of servitude (marriage) in a bid to trigger his awakening.
Quietly resentful of her husband, but nonetheless obligated, she gradually opens up to him, treating him as a “patience stone,” which, as explained by her irreverent prostitute aunt Bibi (Hassina Burgan), is where one divulges all their worries and secrets to free themselves of bondage. Their marriage, her unexplored sexual desires, his neglectful family all get equal billing in her storyline. The nexus of her frustration centers on a confrontation leading to her husband defending the honour of his mother to which he received a bullet in his neck leading to a coma.
This poetic look at the complexity of an afflicted woman given little opportunity to find herself proves magnetic from beginning to end. Rahimi allows the words from his novel to speak for themselves without resorting to over the top cinematic embellishments or heavy handed treatments, instead letting layers of character unfold gradually in each scene. It’s a deceptively simple approach that allows the dignity and power of the film to shine through.
Verdict: 4.5 / 5 – The luminous adaption of a prize winning best seller.
The Patience Stone
Dir.: Atiq Rahimi
France / Germany / Afghanistan
2012 / 98 / 14A
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