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The Patience Stone streaming

Original title: Syngué Sabour - Pierre de patience
2013 Movie Germany, France, United Kingdom, Afghanistan War, Drama 104 min Ages 14+
By: Atiq Rahimi With: Hassina Burgan, Golshifteh Farahani, Hamid Djavadan

Somewhere, in Afghanistan or elsewhere, in a country torn apart by a war... A young woman in her thirties watches over her older husband in a decrepit room. He is reduced to the state of a vegetable because of a bullet in the neck. Not only is he abandoned by his companions of the Jihad, but also by his brothers. One day, the woman decides to tell the truth to him about her feelings about their relationship to her silent husband. She talks about her childhood, her suffering, her frustrations, her loneliness, her dreams, her desires... She says things she could never have done before, even though they have been married for the past 10 years. Therefore, this paralyzed man unconsciously becomes syngue sabour, a magic stone which, according to Persian mythology, when placed in front of a person shields her from unhappiness, suffering, pains and miseries. In this wait for her husband to come back to life, the woman struggles to survive and live. She finds refuge in her aunt's place, who is a prostitute, and the only relative who understands her. The woman seeks to free herself from suffering through the words she delivers audaciously to her husband. But after weeks looking after him, she will actually reveal herself in the relationship she starts with a young soldier...

Filmium rating
71%

Festival Achievements

European Film Awards 2013
Selections:
Feature Film Selection
Rotterdam International Film Festival 2013
Selections:
Bright Future

Mood

Melancholic
Oppressive
Reflective
Serious
Thoughtful

Cast & Crew

Atiq Rahimi
Jean-Claude Carrière
Golshifteh Farahani
Hassina Burgan
Hamid Djavadan

Adaptation

Based On Novel

Budget

Independent Film

Cinematic Technique

Dialogue-Driven
Handheld
Intimate
Intimate Close-Ups
Naturalistic
Subdued Color Palette

Narrative Structure

Episodic
Non-Linear

Pace

Contemplative
Deliberate
Slow
Slow-Paced

Soundtrack

Minimalist Score

Style

Cinematic
Dramatic
Naturalistic
Realistic

Time-Period

Contemporary
Post-2000

Central Conflict

Marital Secrecy
Personal Liberation
Social Oppression

Characters

Paralyzed Husband
Woman Protagonist
Young Soldier

Ending

Ambiguous
Bittersweet
Hopeful

Historical Context

Post-2001 Afghanistan
War Conflict

Key Plot Points

Husband'S Silence
Relationship With Soldier
Woman Confesses To Husband

Plot

Emotional Struggle
Female Empowerment
Female Protagonist
Secret Confession
War-Torn Afghanistan
War-Torn Setting

Setting

Afghanistan
Soviet-Era
War Zone
War-Torn

Shooting Location

Afghanistan
Morocco

Theme

Emotional Release
Female Empowerment
Female Struggle
Oppression
Self-Liberation
War Impact

Genre

Psychological Drama
Social Commentary
Social Realism
War Drama

Audiences

Adults
Art-House Viewers
Socially Conscious
Women

Titles

Come pietra paziente
Ev'en ha'sovlanout
I petra tis ypomonis
Kamien cierpliwosci
Sabır Taşı
Sang-e saboor
Stein der Geduld
Synghe Sabour
Syngué Sabour - Pierre de patience
The Patience Stone
Tålamodets sten

Awards

Afghan Oscar Entry

Festivals

Oscar Submission

Reception

86% Rotten Tomatoes
César Nomination
Oscar Submission
Positive Reviews

Production Countries

Afghanistan
France

Release Year

2013
mowizz ID: a847d68b-371b-486f-845f-c9db9962e318
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