Many of you may remember how I was floored by "A Separation", the 2011 Iranian film that took home the Best Foreign Film award from the most recent Academy Awards. "About Elly", made two years earlier in 2009, has many connections with "A Separation", including the director, Asghar Farhadi, and a number of actors. There is also one other very important commonality: they are both fantastic.
"About Elly" is the story of three husband-and-wife teams (males first): Amir and Sepideh, Peyman and Shohreh, and Manoochehr and Naazi, along with three children, two of them belonging to Peyman and his wife, the other to Amir and Sepideh, and their trip to northern Iran for a vacation along the Caspian sea. They are accompanied by another mutual friend, Ahmed, and Elly, who is teacher to Amir and Sepideh's daughter. Elly has been coaxed into joining the trip by Sepideh, as she harbors hopes of setting her up with Ahmed, who is recently divorced. The gang settles into a ramshackle villa right on the beach, seemingly in for a fun-filled time. On the first day, however, Elly disappears, setting the story into motion.
Its an absolutely brilliant piece of film-work. Despite a slow start, as soon as Elly's disappearance takes place, perhaps 20-30 minutes in, you are absolutely captivated by the story line and the acting. Much like "A Separation", Farhadi (the director-I know I have thrown a lot of names around here) takes a fairly mundane backdrop, throws in a twist, and ends up producing absolute magic. I don't want to give much away here, but will say that the director employs a number of different plot elements to keep the story moving. The reason I say this is because maybe my more cynical readers are thinking (well, she drowned at sea, boom, mystery over, let's watch The Expendables), but, take my word for it: its not so simple. Watch for yourself. The acting is beyond good: thoroughly convincing, and completely authentic. The actor portraying Peyman played the husband in a "A Separation", and I have come to really enjoy watching him work (the actor's real name is, well, Peyman Moadi). Golshifteh Farahani plays Sepideh, and she is so beautiful it almost hurts watching her. Some of you may recognize her from her first foray into Hollywood, "Body of Lies", where she played Leo Dicaprio's love interest (Leo always gets the lookers). All involved put in solid shifts though, no complaints.
There isn't any action, so choreography really wasn't much of an issue, but let it be said that, as a result of good camera-work and top notch acting, you actually feel like you are there, living the whole experience. Very good stuff. I'll also add, like I did when reviewing "A Separation", that "About Elly" also offers a window into life in Iran, something that remains unavailable to many of us. Not only do you get some shots of parts of Iran outside of the teeming Tehran, but "About Elly" also gives an idea on what Iranians do to get away, how they interact with one another, and how they handle adversity.
Verdict: See it, to pass on "About Elly" would be folly.
Grade: A
If you liked this movie you might also like: Can't think of any American equivalents, I'm really beginning to think that maybe Hollywood flicks really are just crap, I should stop watching so many foreign films. Anyway, "A Separation", if you haven't gathered already, is a good bet.
"About Elly" is the story of three husband-and-wife teams (males first): Amir and Sepideh, Peyman and Shohreh, and Manoochehr and Naazi, along with three children, two of them belonging to Peyman and his wife, the other to Amir and Sepideh, and their trip to northern Iran for a vacation along the Caspian sea. They are accompanied by another mutual friend, Ahmed, and Elly, who is teacher to Amir and Sepideh's daughter. Elly has been coaxed into joining the trip by Sepideh, as she harbors hopes of setting her up with Ahmed, who is recently divorced. The gang settles into a ramshackle villa right on the beach, seemingly in for a fun-filled time. On the first day, however, Elly disappears, setting the story into motion.
Its an absolutely brilliant piece of film-work. Despite a slow start, as soon as Elly's disappearance takes place, perhaps 20-30 minutes in, you are absolutely captivated by the story line and the acting. Much like "A Separation", Farhadi (the director-I know I have thrown a lot of names around here) takes a fairly mundane backdrop, throws in a twist, and ends up producing absolute magic. I don't want to give much away here, but will say that the director employs a number of different plot elements to keep the story moving. The reason I say this is because maybe my more cynical readers are thinking (well, she drowned at sea, boom, mystery over, let's watch The Expendables), but, take my word for it: its not so simple. Watch for yourself. The acting is beyond good: thoroughly convincing, and completely authentic. The actor portraying Peyman played the husband in a "A Separation", and I have come to really enjoy watching him work (the actor's real name is, well, Peyman Moadi). Golshifteh Farahani plays Sepideh, and she is so beautiful it almost hurts watching her. Some of you may recognize her from her first foray into Hollywood, "Body of Lies", where she played Leo Dicaprio's love interest (Leo always gets the lookers). All involved put in solid shifts though, no complaints.
There isn't any action, so choreography really wasn't much of an issue, but let it be said that, as a result of good camera-work and top notch acting, you actually feel like you are there, living the whole experience. Very good stuff. I'll also add, like I did when reviewing "A Separation", that "About Elly" also offers a window into life in Iran, something that remains unavailable to many of us. Not only do you get some shots of parts of Iran outside of the teeming Tehran, but "About Elly" also gives an idea on what Iranians do to get away, how they interact with one another, and how they handle adversity.
Verdict: See it, to pass on "About Elly" would be folly.
Grade: A
If you liked this movie you might also like: Can't think of any American equivalents, I'm really beginning to think that maybe Hollywood flicks really are just crap, I should stop watching so many foreign films. Anyway, "A Separation", if you haven't gathered already, is a good bet.
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