Out in Iran and on the festival circuit in 2009, Asghar Farhadi’s About Elly is only now getting wider release. That is largely due to the Oscar success of his 2011 drama A Separation. It’s proof the oft-maligned Academy Awards may serve a purpose after all.
When a group of old friends travel to a rural seaside villa for a short vacation, they plan to set up their divorced friend Ahmad (Shahab Hosseini) with shy newcomer Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti.) The film’s first act is a fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the lives of these likeable characters, whose matchmaking attempts prove hilariously unsubtle. When the group is forced to tell the landlady that Elly and Ahmad are newlyweds, Elly seems embarrassed. But he is also charmed by genuine Ahmad’s warmth.
After one of the characters is involved in a tragic accident, the atmosphere instantly changes. As friends and lovers begin to turn on each other, the film transforms from a chic satirical drama into a damning examination of social strictures, morality and blame in middle-class Iran.
Farhadi brilliantly piles on the tension. The suspense is both situational and psychological. The ensemble cast are all excellent. Golshifteh Farahani is especially good as the vivacious but naïve Sepideh, whose white lies and innocent meddling make her an easy scapegoat for the group.
Eschewing music and letting the biting screenplay speak for itself, Farhadi’s beautifully shot film is a devastating, thought-provoking social commentary. Whisper it, but it may actually be a finer film than A Separation.