The Patience Stone (2012)

Directed by: Atiq Rahimi
Country: Afghanistan / France / others

Review: As already had happened with “Earth and Ashes” in 2004, French-Afghan writer Atiq Rahimi sought inspiration on his own novel to direct a movie. “The Patience Stone” is a wordy film about a silenced woman, who was left alone with two daughters and no means to subsist, when her husband was shot in the neck due to a quarrel with someone of his faction and got into a sort of coma. However, this worked for her as a kind of freedom. Encouraged by her liberal aunt, she starts long monologues in front of her husband, telling him how bad she felt in his presence and revealing secrets that would be impossible to be revealed in normal conditions. This seemed to help her soothe the pain. She even betrays him with a young soldier in unimaginable circumstances. The images are rich in colors and light, but its composition conveys the sufferings of war and the heaviness of a human being who was neglected by an overwhelming culture. The final moments were expected anytime and didn’t cause me surprise. What impressed me was the expression in this woman’s face; her final blow was sweet and cold, chillingly intentional, and one of the film's highest moments. Despite the occasional overstatements, “The Patience Stone” is a solid achievement, drawing attention to a problem that seems far from being solved.