About Elly
Encyclopedia
About Elly is a 2009 Iranian film directed by Asghar Farhadi
. It is the fourth film by Farhadi. The film is about the relationship among some middle class
families in Iran.
Farhadi won the Silver Bear for Best Director
at the 59th Berlin Film Festival for the film. The film was also nominated for 10 awards at the 27th Fajr International Film Festival
in Tehran where Farhadi won the Crystal Symorgh for best directing. About Elly was Iran's official submission for the competition in Foreign Film section
at the 82nd Academy Awards
. It competed against films such as Bist, Tardid, Bipooli for Iran's submission in the Academy Awards.
on a three-day vacation. They are former classmates at the Law faculty in the university. Three couples include Sepideh and her husband Amir who have a little daughter. Shohreh and her husband Peiman who have two children including their little son Arash. Nazi and her husband Manoochehr are the third family. The trip is planned by Sepideh, who brought along her daughter's kindergarten teacher Elly in order to introduce her to Ahmad, a friend who has come back from Germany
for marriage.
They all go to the villa
that Sepideh has booked from Tehran
, but the rural woman in charge tells them that the owners of the place are coming back tomorrow, so they can't stay there. The old woman suggests that they stay in a deserted villa that needs a lot of repairs. There is no signal for the cell phone and they have to go to the old woman's house in order to make calls. Sepideh lies to the old woman about the relationship between Elly and Ahmad: she says they're married and are there for their honey moon.
Elly is a little shy, but she begins to feel attracted to Ahmad, who seems to feel the same way. She calls her mother and lies to her saying that she's with her co-workers at the sea-side. She says she will go back to Tehran the following day...
One of the strongest supporters of About Elly is David Bordwell
, the famous film theorist and film critic, who has called it a masterpiece: " Gripping as sheer storytelling, the plot smoothly raises some unusual moral questions. It touches on masculine honor, on the way a thoughtless laugh can wound someone’s feelings, on the extent to which we try to take charge of others’ fates. I can’t recall another film that so deeply examines the risks of telling lies to spare someone grief. But no more talk: The less you know in advance, the better. About Elly deserves worldwide distribution pronto." http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2009/03/30/a-masterpiece-and-others-not-to-be-neglected/
Alissa Simon of Variety
wrote in her review: "To many, the film’s first half may seem mannered, even boring, with the old pals, particularly the men, indulging in obnoxious, condescending behavior. But after an alarming incident at the 45-minute mark, Farhadi ratchets up the tension, and the pic becomes a mystery thriller
of sorts that epitomizes the Sir Walter Scott quote, Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. " http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939602/
Adam Eisenberg in his review from Tribeca Film Festival
called About Elly: "a mirror of sorts to Michelangelo Antonioni
’s stylistic revolution, L’Avventura." And wrote: "Here the contrast between Farhadi and Antonini is perhaps sharpest. Although L’avventura is certainly cinematic with its relationship between images and themes, ... In Farhadi’s world, cold glances, a husband’s demand for more tea, and tearful rage, are all comments, not symbols, on a culture where telling the truth is often not the best option. It’s a culture that lends itself to suspense, and Farhadi might have more in common with Hitchcock
, than the Iranian New Wave he emerges from." http://flavorwire.com/18391/tribeca-review-about-elly
Also Christopher Bourne after seeing the film at Tribeca Film Festival
said: "The brilliance of Farhadi’s script and direction (his efforts earned him the Silver Bear for best director at this year’s Berlin Film Festival) becomes most apparent in the latter stages of the film. As one secret after another is revealed, Farhadi deftly maps out the shifts in the perceptions and behavior of the characters toward each other as well as the viewer’s perception of the characters." http://www.meniscuszine.com/film/tribeca09/about-elly-20090426/index.html
Lee Marshall of Screen Daily called the film "One of the most remarkable Iranian films to surface in the last few years" and added: "About Elly is a small but compelling ensemble piece of surprising depth. It’s one of those rare films that can be read on one level purely as a satisfying drama, but which also has a rich, independent inner life, centered on big questions about right and wrong, social coercion and the lies people tell themselves and each other." http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/africa/middle-east/features/about-elly-darbareye-elly/4042969.article
Asghar Farhadi
-Career:Asghar Farhadi is a graduate of Theatre, with a BA in Dramatic Arts and MA in Stage Direction from Tehran University and Tarbiat Modarres University. Farhadi made short 8mm and 16mm films in Isfahan branch of Iranian Young Cinema Society before moving on to writing plays and screenplays for...
. It is the fourth film by Farhadi. The film is about the relationship among some middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
families in Iran.
Farhadi won the Silver Bear for Best Director
Silver Bear for Best Director
The Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
at the 59th Berlin Film Festival for the film. The film was also nominated for 10 awards at the 27th Fajr International Film Festival
Fajr International Film Festival
The Fajr Film Festival or Fajr International Film Festival is Iran's annual film festival, held every February in Tehran.The festival, started in 1982, is under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture in Iran...
in Tehran where Farhadi won the Crystal Symorgh for best directing. About Elly was Iran's official submission for the competition in Foreign Film section
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
. It competed against films such as Bist, Tardid, Bipooli for Iran's submission in the Academy Awards.
Plot
A group of middle-class Iranian friends travel to the shores of the Caspian SeaCaspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
on a three-day vacation. They are former classmates at the Law faculty in the university. Three couples include Sepideh and her husband Amir who have a little daughter. Shohreh and her husband Peiman who have two children including their little son Arash. Nazi and her husband Manoochehr are the third family. The trip is planned by Sepideh, who brought along her daughter's kindergarten teacher Elly in order to introduce her to Ahmad, a friend who has come back from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for marriage.
They all go to the villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
that Sepideh has booked from Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, but the rural woman in charge tells them that the owners of the place are coming back tomorrow, so they can't stay there. The old woman suggests that they stay in a deserted villa that needs a lot of repairs. There is no signal for the cell phone and they have to go to the old woman's house in order to make calls. Sepideh lies to the old woman about the relationship between Elly and Ahmad: she says they're married and are there for their honey moon.
Elly is a little shy, but she begins to feel attracted to Ahmad, who seems to feel the same way. She calls her mother and lies to her saying that she's with her co-workers at the sea-side. She says she will go back to Tehran the following day...
Cast
- Golshifteh FarahaniGolshifteh FarahaniGolshifteh Farahani is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress and pianist.- Early life :Golshifteh Farahani was born on 10 July 1983 in Tehran, the daughter of actor/theater director Behzad Farahani and his spouse, Fahime Rahiminia and sister of actress Shaghayegh Farahani. She started studying...
as Sepideh - Taraneh AlidoostiTaraneh AlidoostiTaraneh Alidoosti is a Crystal-Simorgh winning Iranian actress. In a poll conducted among hundred and thirty film critics by Sanate Cinema magazine she was voted the best Iranian actress of the decade.-Career:...
as Elly - Shahab HosseiniShahab Hosseini-Early life:Shahab Hosseini was born on 3 February 1974 in Mirdamad, Tehran. Once a psychology student at the University of Tehran, he dropped out to emigrate to Canada. Instead, he ended up as a radio host in Iran. This was followed by hosting a TV show for the youth audience and some small acting...
as Ahmad - Mani HaghighiMani HaghighiMani Haghighi is an Iranian filmmaker, screen writer and actor. He is the grandson of the writer and filmmaker Ebrahim Golestan.-Education:...
as Amir - Merila ZareiMerila Zarei- Biography :Graduated from Azad University of Tehran, during her studies she became interested in acting through Ezatollah Entezami's acting courses.Her first movie was Patak by Ali Asghar Shadravan in 1994...
as Shohreh - Peiman Ma'adiPeiman Ma'adiPeyman Moaadi is an Iranian actor, screenwriter, and costume designer. He is best known for starring in Nader and Simin, A Separation, and About Elly....
as Peyman - Ahmad MehranfarAhmad MehranfarAhmad Mehranfar is an Iranian film and theater actor. His most known film is About Elly, directed by Asghar Farhadi in 2008.-External links:* in Internet Movie Database...
as Manouchehr - Rana AzadivarRana Azadivar-Filmography:* About Elly * Khake ashena * Parkway * Havoo * Zagros * Marmoulak...
as Nazzie - Saber AbarSaber AbarSaber Abar is an Iranian actor and theater director, best known for his role in "About Elly". Abar has received two Crystal Simorgh Prize Nominations, both for Best Supporting Actor at the 25th and 27th Fajr International Film Festival....
as Ali-Reza
Crew
- sound recorder: Hassan Zahedi
- sound mixAudio mixing (film and television)Audio mixing for film and television is a process during the post-production stage of a moving image program by which a multitude of recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels...
: Mohammad-Reza Delpak - sound editor: Reza Narimizadeh
Reception
The film hailed critically upon the release in its home country. One year after its release, it was voted the 4th greatest Iranian movie of all time by national society of Iranian critics.One of the strongest supporters of About Elly is David Bordwell
David Bordwell
David Bordwell is an American film theorist and film historian. Since receiving his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1974, he has written more than fifteen volumes on the subject of cinema including Narration in the Fiction Film , Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema , Making Meaning , and On the...
, the famous film theorist and film critic, who has called it a masterpiece: " Gripping as sheer storytelling, the plot smoothly raises some unusual moral questions. It touches on masculine honor, on the way a thoughtless laugh can wound someone’s feelings, on the extent to which we try to take charge of others’ fates. I can’t recall another film that so deeply examines the risks of telling lies to spare someone grief. But no more talk: The less you know in advance, the better. About Elly deserves worldwide distribution pronto." http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2009/03/30/a-masterpiece-and-others-not-to-be-neglected/
Alissa Simon of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
wrote in her review: "To many, the film’s first half may seem mannered, even boring, with the old pals, particularly the men, indulging in obnoxious, condescending behavior. But after an alarming incident at the 45-minute mark, Farhadi ratchets up the tension, and the pic becomes a mystery thriller
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
of sorts that epitomizes the Sir Walter Scott quote, Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. " http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939602/
Adam Eisenberg in his review from Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
called About Elly: "a mirror of sorts to Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
’s stylistic revolution, L’Avventura." And wrote: "Here the contrast between Farhadi and Antonini is perhaps sharpest. Although L’avventura is certainly cinematic with its relationship between images and themes, ... In Farhadi’s world, cold glances, a husband’s demand for more tea, and tearful rage, are all comments, not symbols, on a culture where telling the truth is often not the best option. It’s a culture that lends itself to suspense, and Farhadi might have more in common with Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, than the Iranian New Wave he emerges from." http://flavorwire.com/18391/tribeca-review-about-elly
Also Christopher Bourne after seeing the film at Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
said: "The brilliance of Farhadi’s script and direction (his efforts earned him the Silver Bear for best director at this year’s Berlin Film Festival) becomes most apparent in the latter stages of the film. As one secret after another is revealed, Farhadi deftly maps out the shifts in the perceptions and behavior of the characters toward each other as well as the viewer’s perception of the characters." http://www.meniscuszine.com/film/tribeca09/about-elly-20090426/index.html
Lee Marshall of Screen Daily called the film "One of the most remarkable Iranian films to surface in the last few years" and added: "About Elly is a small but compelling ensemble piece of surprising depth. It’s one of those rare films that can be read on one level purely as a satisfying drama, but which also has a rich, independent inner life, centered on big questions about right and wrong, social coercion and the lies people tell themselves and each other." http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/africa/middle-east/features/about-elly-darbareye-elly/4042969.article
Accolades
- Crystal SimorghCrystal SimorghThe Crystal Simorgh is the most prestigious award given by Fajr International Film Festival, Iran's major annual film festival.It is awarded in several categories of International Competition as well as Iranian Cinema Competition....
for Best Director in 27th Fajr International Film FestivalFajr International Film FestivalThe Fajr Film Festival or Fajr International Film Festival is Iran's annual film festival, held every February in Tehran.The festival, started in 1982, is under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture in Iran... - Silver Bear for Best DirectorSilver Bear for Best DirectorThe Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
in 59th Berlin film festival - Best Picture at the 2009 Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
. - In Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
, Farhadi won the award for Best Narrative Feature. - In Brisbane International Film FestivalBrisbane International Film FestivalBrisbane International Film Festival held in Brisbane provides a focus for film culture in Queensland, Australia. The festival has taken place since 1992 and focuses on films from the Asia-Pacific region. The event offers films including features, documentaries, shorts, experimental, silent films...
Farhadi won the Netpac Award. - About Elly is Iran's official selection to compete at the 82nd Academy Awards82nd Academy AwardsThe 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
in the field of Best Foreign Language Film. - Jury Grand Prize (with The Time That RemainsThe Time That RemainsThe Time That Remains is a 2009 semi-biographical drama film written and directed by Elia Suleiman. The film stars Elia Suleiman, Saleh Bakri, Leila Mouammar, and Bilal Zidani. It gives an account of the creation of the Israeli state from 1948 to the present. Suleiman participated in the 2009...
) and Best Screenplay at the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen AwardsAsia Pacific Screen AwardsThe Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an international cultural initiative of the State Government of Queensland, Australia, through Events Queensland, to honour and promote the films, actors, directors, and cultures of Asia-Pacific to a global audience and to realise the objectives of UNESCO to... - Suvarna Chakoram for Best Film in International Film Festival of Kerala 2009.
External links
- About Elly at the Memento Films website
- About Elly in Iran Negah
- About Elly gallery in 30nema website