About Elly (Faces of Iran)

About Elly (Faces of Iran)

About Elly

Dar bare-ye Elly Iran 2009 | Asghar Farhadi | vostEN | 119’ | digital | Cast : Golshifteh Farahani, Taraneh Allidousti, Shahab Hosseini

► Silberner Bär (Beste Regie), Berlin 2009  

A young teacher, on a weekend beach holiday in northern Iran with three middle-class families, goes missing before her introduction to a potential suitor.

« In some ways, it’s an even more satisfying work than A Separation — more contained, and strangely elegant in its mood of hopelessness. It’s breezy, then suspenseful, and gradually, crushingly sad. On its own terms, it’s a perfect film. » (Vulture)

« This superb ensemble drama must be seen with as little prior knowledge as possible because Farhadi and his editor Hayedeh Safiyari are masters of withholding information until the suspense becomes almost unbearable. About Elly shows that the ethical dilemmas of ordinary adults can, with this level of talent, become as gripping as any thriller. » (New York Post)

« Abruptly, not once but several times, About Elly changes tone as a rolling series of crises amplify the seaside tension exponentially. Farhadi has written a first-rate script, enabling intricate plotting to intertwine with well-defined characters, and the film shows him at ease with the wide variety of situations his writing explores. Emotional intensity is Farhadi’s métier, and to see About Elly is to revel in his skill. » (Los Angeles Times)