Reception
While the film drew both praise and outrage over its portrayal of the abused women, as a criticism of Islam it drew the following comment from The Village Voice movie critic Dennis Lim, “It's depressing to think that this morsel of glib effrontery could pass as a serious critique of conservative Islam.” Another critic referred to the stories told in this film as "simplistic, even caricatures." Film Threat movie critic Phil Hall, on the other hand, stated that "If its methods were harsh, nonetheless Submission was bold in openly questioning misogyny and a culture of violence against women because of Koranic interpretations. The questions raised in the film deserve to be asked: is it divine will to assault or kill women? Is there holiness in holding women at substandard levels, denying them the right to free will and independent thought? And ultimately, how can such a mindframe exist in the 21st century?"
After the movie's broadcast on Dutch public TV, newspaper De Volkskrant reported on claims of plagiarism against Hirsi Ali and Van Gogh, made by internet journalist Francisco van Jole. Van Jole said the duo had "aped" the ideas of Iranian-American video artist Shirin Neshat. Neshat's work, which made abundant use of Arabic text projected onto bodies, had been shown in the Netherlands in 1997 and 2000.
Read more about this topic: Submission (2004 Film)
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