Steven Sheehan’s review published on Letterboxd:
Authors who take the role behind the camera is not a common occurrence which is one of the first instances to give The Patience Stone its unique edge. Atiq Rahimi is an Afghanistan national who fled the country back in the 80's and has since become a renowned writer in France. A book of the same name was released to much acclaim in 2008 and a collaboration with screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere brings to life his literary vision.
Golshifteh Farahani (About Elly) takes the lead role of a Muslim woman living in a location we presume to be Afghanistan. Her husband lies comatose on the floor of their sparse house following an argument with a local that led to a bullet becoming lodged in his neck. We learn that he was a brutal man of war who showed little or no affection for his wife and he is now utterly dependant on her dedication toward his recovery.
Militia gunfire creates the atmospheric backdrop alongside the bombs and tank-fire detonating within their town. The first twenty minutes pitches you straight into the bleak world the towns people inhabit. An ongoing battle with her conscience pulls her between duty and hatred towards her husband and it takes a story from her aunt about a mythical patience stone to lead her back to her husbands side; a confessional space where she can release the sacrifices, unburden the pain and the secrets buried for too many years.
Sex and Islam on film are no real bedfellows. The idea that a Muslim woman should publicly express her physical desire is deemed haram (sinful) within the religion. Although the film is not solely about the flesh, Atiq Rahimi brings out these elements in an unprecedented fashion. In terms of general Western values there is nothing that really appears to be shocking but in Islamic terms it veers into places that dismisses religious restriction to illustrate life under the hijab where a woman reveals her desires and her needs.
Which is not to say that the film becomes a cheap representation of women who are otherwise scared to speak in such a manner. She has a grace and a feminine power that illustrates the strength of a wife and a mother; the ethereal self-surety that allows women to mature far earlier than men. They take on burdens within the world that men bluster through, intrinsically linked to the meaning of the sacrifices made that their counterparts fail to comprehend.
The Qur'an burns in the background of this lady's mind, forging to the forefront as she feels guilty for talking so frankly to her husband, despite his physical state. Further exploration of these themes would have provided additional layers to her story, so it is a shame that they are not even more prominent. At times there is an unevenness - mainly due to the score - between the dramatic elements and the more thriller intense situations, yet this time instead of building towards a big 'pay-off', most of the action takes place very early-on.
For pure boldness alone The Patience Stone is a film that deserves to be seen and experienced for the brave messaging that comes from within. It is a film of self-discovery for this lady as well as us the viewer, and its daring approach to a cross-range of subjects will allow its potency to linger for some time to come.