Darbareye Elly

English title: About Elly

Genre: psychological drama

With: Taraneh Alidoosti (Elly), Golshifteh Farahani (Sepideh), Shahab Hosseini (Ahmad), Merila Zare'i (Shohreh), Mani Haghighi (Amir), Payman Maadi (Peyman), Ra'na Azadivar (Naazi), Ahmad Mehranfar (Manoochehr), Saber Abar (Alireza)

Director: Asghar Farhadi

Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi (with the possible participation of A. Jafarian)

Release: 2009

Studio: Dreamlab

Rating: TV-PG

MBiS score: 8.7/10 

 

Is There Such a Thing as an Innocent Lie? 

 

QuickView

Story-line: it’s that time of year again… the old gang from law school is heading for the shores of the Caspian Sea. Gang members are (1) Sepideh, the organizer, who leads the pack with husband Amir and daughter Morvarid; (2) Shohreh, hubby Peyman and their two children Arash and Anita; and (3) Naazi with her husband Manoochehr. This year, however, there’s more to the trip than rest and recreation… Sepideh has invited Elly, her daughter’s kindergarten teacher, so she can meet Naazi’s brother, Ahmad, who is back from Germany for a rare visit. Love is in the air, you see…

Pluses: superb, natural-looking performances by an engaging group of actors (I won’t single out anyone because they are all fantastic, including the children), seamless and astoundingly precise direction, a complex, well-structured and riveting screenplay rich in psychological insights, character interplay and telling dialogues (Elly’s conversation with Ahmad on their way back from errands is simply exquisite), very attractive cinematography, fine editing, realistic production values and a startling ending.

Minuses: even though ABOUT ELLY is interesting from the get-go, the characters and story-line confused me early on. If this happens to you, stop at the 30-minute mark and replay that first segment; you will notice small but important details and better appreciate this great movie. For good measure, I watched the whole thing twice… and I can confirm that everything fits. 

Comments: ABOUT ELLY begins innocently enough – close friends travel to the seaside, have fun together and watch their guests as they forge a relationship – but an unexpected event will spell tragedy for all. Discussions and arguments ensue, lies are told for whatever reason and things get harder and harder to figure out. From such a dramatic story about relationships – and the fateful shortcuts we sometimes take in life –, Asghar Farhadi has spun a stunning film anchored by superb acting and a screenplay as rigorous as a world-class ballet. It all comes down to one question asked by Alireza and, when the answer comes, it will leave him – and all of us watching – utterly speechless. From one frame to the next, ABOUT ELLY is flawless cinema. 

 

MBiS 

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