maybe it was funny but the movie "Darbareye Elly" or "About Elly..." is the most different arty film you ever seen from Iran. i mean comparing to Abbas Kiarostami, Majidi & others' films. I love Farhadi's works from "Dancing in the dust" and "The beautiful City" TV serial to "Firework Wednesday" movie and now at the top of this social genre he is with "About Elly..." I recommend this movie to everyone... please... please watch it!
But about the film: the whole view of the film is different from other Persian movies... in this film Iran is a modern country with modern people and modern problems but there is a bigger problem that is very old and it is the LIE... whole parts of the story makes you to follow it or maybe I would say it makes you to be in the story...
3 middle-class Persian families with their friend AHMAD (acting by Shahab Hosseini), that is newly divorced from his German wife and came back to Iran, travel to the shores of the Caspian Sea on a three-day vacation. Three couples include Sepideh and her husband Amir who have a little daughter. Shohreh and her husband Peyman who have two children including their little son Arash. Nazi and her husband Manoochehr are the third family. And Ahmad is Nazi's brother. But there is another person with them. The kindergarten teacher of Sepideh's daughter. Her name is ELLY. 'Elly' is our and their all information about her. Sepideh brought her to introduce her with Ahmad but didn't say to Elly that he is a widower of a German wife. (1st Lie)
Sepideh (acting by Golshifteh Farahani that is known in the west by acting in the movie "Body of Lies") in this movie is the statue of telling Lie. She didn't even told to 3 family that Elly is coming with them, even to her husband!!. (2nd Lie) They want to take the villa that Sepideh has booked from Tehran but the owner going to come tomorrow and they just can stay for one day, not three days. But the people said that they booked it and the 3rd lie of Sepideh was that, to bring everyone specially Elly and Ahmad together. after a while they went to a seaside villa but although Shohreh wasn't agree because of her son, Arash, she didn't say anything. After a day Ahmad and Elly fell in love and want to marry but Elly should go back home because of her mother but Sepideh doesn't let her. Sepideh and Shohreh went shopping. men were playing volleyball and Nazi was in the villa. Little girls were playing at seaside and Arash was swimming. at this time girls came and said 'Arash isn't at sea side'. men went and rescued him but who was the children's guard. Nazi said: 'Elly, of course... but where is she?'
Because I want readers to watch the movie so I'm just going to talk about Sepideh's Lies, the fact reason of Elly's disappearing.
whole 3 family, of course Ahmad too, looked for her but nothing. Even the Caspian Rescue Team couldn't find and said they are looking for her almost an hour and if she was in the sea she is dead. Police came and asked 'What is her name'. 'Elly...' people answered. 'But what is the full name... Elham, Elmira, Elnaz, Elizabeth, ... What?' Policeman asked again and no one knows even Sepideh that gave her child to Elly... Policeman asked them to bring her Identification Cards... Oh my God ... there isn't Elly's bag here maybe she was gone... 4th lie of Sepideh is hiding Elly's bag from they... and the mobile phone ... Sepideh has it too ... because this shock, Amir got wild and punished his wife, Sepideh... they called one of the phone numbers saved on Elly's mobile... his brother was... Sepideh said Elly doesn't have any brother or sister... so who was he ... yes... the 5th lie of Sepideh was, not to tell them that Elly had a fiancé ... So why was she with us ... she wasn't going to marry him ... the man came there but he understand whole story when the rural woman said all about Ahmad and Elly... and the last lie of Sepideh was to say him nothing about their knowledge of Elly's fiancé to make her a Bad girl ... 'it is not important' whole families said 'Elly is dead and what will happen if we make a lie? she was a bad girl that came here to be introduced with Ahmad when she was with some one else.' ... Sepideh didn't said even Elly anything about Ahmad (7th lie) but what will the man think about Elly...? Yes ... Sepideh made another lie at the end and all the people went back to Tehran... there was just the newly found body of Elly and her sad fiancé.
What do you think about Elly? ... Most of you think that she went to sea to rescue Arash but herself didn't came back ... but maybe in the road back to Tehran someone rubbed her then killed and put in seaside because she was found in very far place... and Maybe many other things ... What happened to Elly? ... What do we think about Elly? this is the main question that make you think about this brilliant movie for a while... but What would happen if Sepideh didn't say any lie? ... why do we say lies with no matter?... In Islam, telling Lie is one of the biggest sins
Maybe because of that some people said its name should be "About a lie..."
But about the film: the whole view of the film is different from other Persian movies... in this film Iran is a modern country with modern people and modern problems but there is a bigger problem that is very old and it is the LIE... whole parts of the story makes you to follow it or maybe I would say it makes you to be in the story...
3 middle-class Persian families with their friend AHMAD (acting by Shahab Hosseini), that is newly divorced from his German wife and came back to Iran, travel to the shores of the Caspian Sea on a three-day vacation. Three couples include Sepideh and her husband Amir who have a little daughter. Shohreh and her husband Peyman who have two children including their little son Arash. Nazi and her husband Manoochehr are the third family. And Ahmad is Nazi's brother. But there is another person with them. The kindergarten teacher of Sepideh's daughter. Her name is ELLY. 'Elly' is our and their all information about her. Sepideh brought her to introduce her with Ahmad but didn't say to Elly that he is a widower of a German wife. (1st Lie)
Sepideh (acting by Golshifteh Farahani that is known in the west by acting in the movie "Body of Lies") in this movie is the statue of telling Lie. She didn't even told to 3 family that Elly is coming with them, even to her husband!!. (2nd Lie) They want to take the villa that Sepideh has booked from Tehran but the owner going to come tomorrow and they just can stay for one day, not three days. But the people said that they booked it and the 3rd lie of Sepideh was that, to bring everyone specially Elly and Ahmad together. after a while they went to a seaside villa but although Shohreh wasn't agree because of her son, Arash, she didn't say anything. After a day Ahmad and Elly fell in love and want to marry but Elly should go back home because of her mother but Sepideh doesn't let her. Sepideh and Shohreh went shopping. men were playing volleyball and Nazi was in the villa. Little girls were playing at seaside and Arash was swimming. at this time girls came and said 'Arash isn't at sea side'. men went and rescued him but who was the children's guard. Nazi said: 'Elly, of course... but where is she?'
Because I want readers to watch the movie so I'm just going to talk about Sepideh's Lies, the fact reason of Elly's disappearing.
whole 3 family, of course Ahmad too, looked for her but nothing. Even the Caspian Rescue Team couldn't find and said they are looking for her almost an hour and if she was in the sea she is dead. Police came and asked 'What is her name'. 'Elly...' people answered. 'But what is the full name... Elham, Elmira, Elnaz, Elizabeth, ... What?' Policeman asked again and no one knows even Sepideh that gave her child to Elly... Policeman asked them to bring her Identification Cards... Oh my God ... there isn't Elly's bag here maybe she was gone... 4th lie of Sepideh is hiding Elly's bag from they... and the mobile phone ... Sepideh has it too ... because this shock, Amir got wild and punished his wife, Sepideh... they called one of the phone numbers saved on Elly's mobile... his brother was... Sepideh said Elly doesn't have any brother or sister... so who was he ... yes... the 5th lie of Sepideh was, not to tell them that Elly had a fiancé ... So why was she with us ... she wasn't going to marry him ... the man came there but he understand whole story when the rural woman said all about Ahmad and Elly... and the last lie of Sepideh was to say him nothing about their knowledge of Elly's fiancé to make her a Bad girl ... 'it is not important' whole families said 'Elly is dead and what will happen if we make a lie? she was a bad girl that came here to be introduced with Ahmad when she was with some one else.' ... Sepideh didn't said even Elly anything about Ahmad (7th lie) but what will the man think about Elly...? Yes ... Sepideh made another lie at the end and all the people went back to Tehran... there was just the newly found body of Elly and her sad fiancé.
What do you think about Elly? ... Most of you think that she went to sea to rescue Arash but herself didn't came back ... but maybe in the road back to Tehran someone rubbed her then killed and put in seaside because she was found in very far place... and Maybe many other things ... What happened to Elly? ... What do we think about Elly? this is the main question that make you think about this brilliant movie for a while... but What would happen if Sepideh didn't say any lie? ... why do we say lies with no matter?... In Islam, telling Lie is one of the biggest sins
Maybe because of that some people said its name should be "About a lie..."