Darbareye Elly

2009

1 hr. 59 min.

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

99%

72 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A young teacher disappears before being introduced to a potential suitor in northern Iran.

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Critics Consensus

About Elly offers viewers performances as powerful as its thought-provoking ideas, and adds another strong entry to Asghar Farhadi's impressive filmography.

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Audience Member

A wonderful dramatic movie. Perfect casting by top Iranian actors, wonderful shots, smart story line and heavily unsettling. This movie constantly makes you incredibly nervous and then gives you a time to rest, which makes it a lovely roller coaster. The interrupting scene of showing Taraneh Alidoosti (Elly) flying kite horrifyingly hints you the drowning of Arash, and it's one of the best scenes in the movie. The casting is superb, especially Goshifteh Farahani (Sepideh) as a desperate person. The only problem I had with this movie was Shaham Hosseini (Ahmad), as he didn't quit look like a person who had just lost his lover, although it is explainable to some extends. In the end, I quit enjoyed the movie and I think it deserves 5 stars.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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júlio a

Rapaz, que filme que me trouxe diversos sentimentos. Achei que iria virar filme de terror, depois achei que a mulher era terrorista, a agonia da cena da praia..

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I have ambivalent feelings about this film which, I suppose, is a positive. I disliked a lot of the personalities, particularly the "brother"/fiancé, who was a clueless idiot and a jerk. But I quite liked Elly herself, as well as Ahmed, the divorcé her friend is intent on setting her up with. In similar fashion, I loved the scenery and landscape near the Caspian Sea, although I would have preferred to see more of the coast rather than just the limited seascape outside the rented villa. <br> The scenes on the road were interesting, as well, limited though they were. The traffic infrastructure looks to be similar to the UAE and other countries of that region which I have visited. <br> By the way, being interested in all things Persian, I take special note of any clues I come across in these films about what life in Iran might be like. From one offhand comment one of the characters made, it sounds like the roadway turns one-way at the end of the weekend when everyone is headed back to Tehran, with people simply taking over the northbound lanes to increase the number of lanes heading south. <br> I guess it's up to people who want to travel north to plan accordingly, knowing that that's just what happens. And it even makes sense in some respects, I suppose, in that it facilitates flow where flow is most needed. But I guess I'd probably say I prefer the way we do things here where we're a little more totalitarian about traffic regulation, on the one hand, and much less extreme about regulating people's personal lives on the other.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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robbie v

Interesting drama. Rules of engagement in Iran are very different to the West.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

First of all, it is a 2009 movie, and not a 2015! I remember it was very impressive when I watched it. How small lies could have an accumulative effect and cause a real catastrophe. Plus, it shows very original nuances of an Iranian average lifestyle.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

david l

Thanks to excellent direction, fantastic characterization and a great script, About Elly is another Asghar Farhadi classic that benefits from a very well utilized seaside setting into the tumultuous narrative. The movie's at its best in the second act with the gripping drama that ensued and many enthralling arguments. The performances are also excellent with Golshifteh Farahani being the standout in such a terrific role.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Asghar Farhadi

Director

Golshifteh Farahani

Sepideh

Shahab Hosseini

Ahmad

Taraneh Alidoosti

Elly

Merila Zare'i

Shohreh

Mani Haghighi

Amir

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The Past

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Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Farhadi has written a first-rate script, enabling intricate plotting to intertwine with well-defined characters, and "About Elly" shows him at ease with the wide variety of situations his writing explores.

Jul 9, 2015

Full Review

Tom Long

Detroit News

By the time the mystery is solved, it hardly seems to matter. What matters is the casual lack of honesty that almost everyone seems to depend on.

Rated: A

Jun 26, 2015

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Walter V. Addiego

San Francisco Chronicle

It's an incisive portrait of a particular society, but it should resonate everywhere.

Rated: 3/4

May 20, 2015

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“About Elly” is a near hypnotic experience whether it’s the fascinating mystery akin to Antonioni’s brilliant “L’Avventura” or the stimulating character study/morality play that puts each character under a microscope.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 19, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Farhadi peels back layer after layer of the story to heighten the dramatic stakes, gradually revealing his cultural commentary.

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 20, 2022

Full Review

Patrick Gamble

CineVue

Farhadi once again reveals himself to be a master of the morality tale, beautiful presenting a series of encounters in which each character is morally and ethically questioned.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 2, 2019

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Synopsis

A young teacher disappears before being introduced to a potential suitor in northern Iran.

Director: Asghar Farhadi
Screenwriter: Asghar Farhadi, Azad Jafarian
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $106.7K

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