Sara Shahverdi is a motorcycle riding, divorced woman who is one of the leaders in her village in Iran. She is a no nonsense sort of person who wants to change the world and give the women in her village and country greater autonomy. However the old ways die hard, and even the members of her family don't always side with her.
This Oscar hopeful documentary may have a tough go of it to get the gold statue, since this is not a simple good versus evil tale, there are too many complications which the Academy hates. On the other hand people who want real world stories without simple solutions are going to eat this up. There is a great deal going on here. A great deal of what we see is not always the way things are or subject to change from one moment to the next. This film is a literal rollercoaster of emotions.
What makes this film so compelling is that the film doesn't sugar coat anything. Many documerntaries simplify things down to the point where everything is black and white. CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS doesn't sugar coat anything, yes there are some small inroads being made by Shahverdi to change the way things are, but at the same time some people are not going to be moved.
You will forgive me for not going into great detail about what happens over the course of the film, but part of the power of the film is going into it and not being prepared for what happens. As I said above the film is not like any other documentary in its narrative course, with the result that we are constantly surprised at how things go. I do not want to give you any clue as to what happens since the power of the film is in watching life and arguments unfold before you.
This is a hell of a tale, about a hell of a woman. Almost certain to be in the Oscar mix, this is a film you'll want to see.
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