You are here:

The Patience Stone

The Patience Stone

Representation Score

6.3/10

Good

2013

R

Director

Atiq Rahimi

Runtime

102 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Patience Stone excels in its sophisticated deconstruction of gender hierarchies. By inverting the traditional provider/protector roles, it offers a nuanced study of power through non-verbal resistance and psychological depth. However, the film's approach to disability is somewhat functional. The husband's medical condition serves more as a narrative catalyst for the wife's dialogue than a deep exploration of his own lived experience with impairment. While culturally specific and resistant to the Western perspective, the film remains homogeneous in its casting. It provides a localized perspective that avoids Anglo-centric formulas but lacks a blend of diverse identities.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Patience Stone have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on a troubled marriage and does not include LGBTQ+ characters or those with non-traditional gender identities.

How does The Patience Stone portray gender?

Excellent

The narrative disrupts traditional power dynamics by showing a vulnerable, comatose husband. The wife uses silence as a powerful tool of resistance against patriarchal authority.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Patience Stone?

Fair

The cast is uniform within an Afghan or Middle Eastern context. It avoids the Western perspective by focusing on a localized struggle rather than Anglo-centric storytelling.

How does The Patience Stone represent religion and culture?

Good

The film challenges idealized views of family by depicting the marital unit as a site of trauma. It explores the breakdown of social and religious cohesion in war-torn settings.

Does The Patience Stone include disability representation?

Fair

The husband's comatose state serves as a central plot device. His disability primarily facilitates the wife's monologues rather than exploring his own experiences with impairment.

Present on Screen

  • Subverts traditional patriarchal hierarchies through the wife's psychological resistance.
  • Provides a sophisticated, non-Western perspective that avoids the typical Western gaze.
  • Challenges conventional moral and institutional norms through complex situational ethics.

Limited or Absent

  • Uses physical disability primarily as a narrative tool rather than exploring the character's own experiences.
  • Lacks a variety of racial and ethnic identities within the cast.

Official Synopsis

In a war-ridden country, a woman watches over her husband, comatose from a bullet in the neck and abandoned by Jihad companions and brothers. One day, the woman decides to say things to him she could never have done before.

How are these scores produced? →

Where to Watch

Rate this Movie

No rating selected
Use arrow keys to select a rating from 1 to 5 stars
Optional text review, maximum 2000 characters
Tip: Wrap spoilers with ||double pipes|| to hide them
0/2000 characters
You must be signed in to submit a rating

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts on this movie!

Use the rating form above to leave a star rating and optional review.