Golshifteh Farahani and Taraneh Alidoosti are About EllyLies like a Persian rug
By Miranda Inganni
Sepideh (Golshifteh Farahani), along with her husband and their friends are vacationing north of Tehran. Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti), Sepideh’s son’s kindergarten teacher is invited along, ostensibly to help with the kids, but there are other motives -- involving the group’s recently divorced friend, Ahmed (Shahab Hisseihi).
After an initial 24 hours of music and merriment (volleyball; charades), things take a turn for the worse. Elly is asked to watch three children playing on the beach, when her back is momentarily turned, one of the boys goes under the water. In the ensuing chaos, Elly, too, goes missing.
Lies beget lies and the group’s mistrust of each other has them fighting. And the longer Elly is missing, the more the group tosses blame around for this mysterious woman’s disappearance.
Sepideh thought she was doing Elly a favor, but when the truth finally comes out, it seems Sepideh’s best intentions only lead to tragedy.
The story moves at a smooth pace allowing the viewer to comfortably watch the web of lies unravel even as the tension increases.
A 20/20 selection at this year’s AFI Fest, filled with taut writing and a wonderful and beautiful cast, writer-director Asghar Farhadi has created a fantastic movie about the dangers of deceit. (Recommended)
(About Elly is scheduled to screen Nov. 2, 7 p.m. Mann Chinese Theater 6, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. For more information: 866/AFI-FEST)
