À propos d'Elly

To say the most important thing first: 'All about Elly' requires unmitigated attention from the viewer. I actually watched it in the Berlin Festival last year, but didn't think too much of it as I was distracted. Since it won the Silver Bear and was voted by Iranian critics the best national film ever, I decided to give it another shot on DVD, and as it works sometimes, I realized that this film is not only a true gem, but one of those rare, timeless classics that may help to explain to posterity the reality of generations past.

What lulled me into a mistaken sense of boredom upon my first viewing was the unassuming start of the film. The simplicity of the plot - a group of young Tehrani couples going on a seaside weekend trip, with one of the wives trying to act as a matchmaker between a female colleague and an expat on vacation from Germany - is presented in such low-key fashion that if you don't know what's coming (and I didn't) it's hard to focus on the subtle hints of possible conflict. Also, while I've been to Iran and consider myself vaguely familiar with the complexities of life there, of course as a mere visitor you can catch but a fraction of what things mean, and since this is very much a jump into an unknown society, you really have to blank your mind to catch the drift of what the characters say.

Ironically, that's a stark contradiction to the usual Iranian festival fair: Kiarostami works a lot with metaphor (which he often endlessly repeats to drive the message home), Panahi with situation developments (which he exploits to the utmost degree to drive the message home), and therefore their works do not require much background info, though it sure helps. Farhadi's film asks for a bit more audience participation, as much of the conflict in the second half of the film stems from Iranian social reality, I would think. That is what, on my second viewing, convinces me of the timeless quality of this film: never before have I seen a director pull so much substance out of so little plot and setting.

Just because 'All about Elly' appears to be simple at first, it is actually really deep; once I suspected that every frame in this film means something and is not just there, I entered an alternate visual language, which then communicated the urgency of what Elly's disappearance meant to me. I felt that this film thereby manages to tell me emotionally what I could rationally never fully comprehend: what it means to actually live in a country like that. No other film from Iran has ever done that for me, and I've rarely seen a film from another culture that managed to do so. So I would assume that Farhadi has taken directing to another level here.

What's more: this isn't just a very artistic way to convey a message, it's also very entertaining. For once I was drawn into the characters, their sense of alarm and suspense kept me on the edge until the very end. There's a decent dose of Hitchcock in 'All about Elly' as unreal as that may sound. That's the real charm of this film: although it's demanding in terms of familiarity with the setting, it's international in its depiction of emotions anyone from anywhere can relate to.

In conclusion: Definitely not to be missed if you are just as much as remotely interested in Iran, or have a sweet tooth for excellent direction (though the French term 'mise-en-scène' hits the mark in this case). This is the kind of movie that should become part the curriculum of film students around the globe.

You can't breathe, you can not even shout, you can not cry, you'll be just stay fascinated till the end and the final music is just as fantastic as the whole movie itself; The roles are played by some of the best actors and actresses of Iran, who actually LIVE the roles and you just get engaged with everything that's going on there as if you are one of them; I loved it so much; Thanks to Asghar Farhadi for always making us such good movies; I do recommend everyone to see this if the haven't yet; I'm gonna see it again for sure....... I really love the scene where the sound of Eli gets mixed with the cruel sound of Sea which really makes you nervous; gives some notices about the upcoming events;

that wasn't what i expected because i thought it would be a normal film but since I've seen it, i cannot stop thinking about it...i had never seen any movie like that before.it shocked me during it and after it.i cannot put it in the words as i can't speak English well...anyway,great movie and actually great Iranian movie so far...best natural plays,best good directed film,you cannot imagine what I'm trying to say if you haven't seen it yet...i have seen all of his films and i enjoyed them a lot and all i know about him that he is a real talented and genius Iranian who0 knows what he wants and what he is about to create...i watched this movie just once but I'm gonna buy its DVD and then watch it over and over to find more the other things that i couldn't find that time.it is so hard to excite the people's emotions but he proved that if you tell the truth,it seems really easy.that was my country's reality and i cannot deny it.that's what we are gonna do and say and think if we be on that situation...thanks Mr.director,I'm proud of you so much

i didn't really know what to expect of this film so went to watch it quite blank, the cinema was packed with a mixed crowd which was promising.

i was drawn to the characters and their different personalities immediately.they were very believable and you almost felt as if you were there.

the film was very natural and the shots were nice and tidy, as a lot of foreign or arty films end up being too 'diffeent', this was easy to watch. as the plot became more complex the viewing was compelling and the director created suspense very well and built it up slowly.

the actresses and actors were really great, adding to the story's realism. as we the audience started to try and piece the mysteries of the story you just had to keep watching. i recommend it, the location was really pretty too.

i was happy to know there was a ending as a lot of foreign films end with no ending!!!! but this was satisfying however i would add that it became a little too long towards the end and some may have wanted a different ending to that chosen.

all together an excellent film to watch.

"About Elly" seems like a rough sketch for "A Separation" (2011), one of the best films of the current century IMHO. In both cases, Farhadi's focused on social lies and deceptions and the ways they come back to bite us--as well as on the contrasts and contradictions between the lives and aspirations of contemporary Iranians and the restrictive social norms of Islam--but "Elly"'s not as tightly plotted or as involving. In many ways it's like typical film-festival fare from a non-Western country; it's a little hard to keep track of the characters at first, and it's not always clear why they're behaving the way they do.... The setup's intriguing: old college friends from Tehran--three married couples and their kids and a recent divorcé--and a slightly mysterious plus one, Elly, share a clapped-out weekend cottage on the Caspian Sea. At first everyone's acting goofy, singing and busting little Zorbalike dance moves.

Then something happens--two things really--and everything changes. The sky darkens, the sea gets rough, and husbands and wives are (almost literally in one case) at each other's throats. Suddenly these 21st-century sophisticates are chattering about evil portents and lost honor and fear of shaming; several layers of deception have to be unwrapped before the film's ambiguous ending. Expert cast (including the husband from "A Separation" and Nefertari from "Exodus: Gods and Kings"[!)]; the performances seem a little over the top at times, but that may just be a cultural thing; great cinematography. Certainly worth watching, prob'ly more so if you've already seen "A Separation."