About Elly - by Asghar Farhadi

About Elly (Persian: درباره الی‎, translit. Dar bāre-ye Elly) is a 2009 Iranian drama film directed by Asghar Farhadi. It is the fourth film by Farhadi. The film is about middle class relationships in Iran.

Farhadi won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival for the film. The film was also nominated for 10 awards at the 27th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran where Farhadi won the Crystal Simorgh for best directing. About Elly was Iran's official submission for the competition in the Foreign Film section at the 82nd Academy Awards.
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Produced by Asghar Farhadi
Written by Asghar Farhadi (screenplay)
Azad Jafarian (thanks to)
Starring Golshifteh Farahani
Taraneh Alidoosti
Shahab Hosseini
Mani Haghighi
Merila Zarei
Peyman Moaadi
Ahmad Mehranfar
Rana Azadivar
Saber Abar
Cinematography Hossein Jafarian
Edited by Hayedeh Safiyari

Cast
Shahab Hosseini as Ahmad
Golshifteh Farahani as Sepideh
Taraneh Alidoosti as Elly
Peyman Moaadi as Peymān
Mani Haghighi as Amir
Merila Zarei as Shohreh
Ahmad Mehranfar as Manouchehr
Rana Azadivar as Nāzy
Saber Abar as Ali-Reza

Plot
A group of middle-class Iranians, former classmates at the law faculty of the university, go to the Caspian Sea for a three-day vacation: Sepideh, her husband Amir and their young daughter; Shohreh, her husband Peymān and their two children, including their son Arash and Nāzy and her husband Manuchehr. Sepideh, who planned the trip, brings along her daughter's kindergarten teacher, Elly, in order to introduce her to Ahmad, a divorced friend visiting from Germany.

At the seaside mansion that Sepideh has booked the woman in charge tells them the owners will return the next day and suggests that they stay instead in a deserted beach-front villa. Sepideh lies to the old woman about the relationship between Elly and Ahmad: she says they're married and on their honeymoon.

Elly is a little shy, but begins to feel interested in Ahmad, who seems to have feelings for Elly. She calls her mother and lies to her, saying that she's with her co-workers at a sea-side resort and that she expects to go back to Tehran the following day, as planned. Sepideh, however, doesn't want her to leave and hides her luggage. One of the mothers asks Elly to watch the children playing at the seaside. Later, Arash is found floating in the sea and Elly is nowhere to be seen. Arash is resuscitated, but the group doesn't know whether Elly has drowned or has just left for Tehran. The police are called, while the group continues to search for Elly. The group starts to blame each other for the series of events leading up to her disappearance and her presence on the trip.

However, things are not as they seem, as it turns out that Sepideh has been lying and knew Elly was engaged to a man named Alireza. Since Elly was reluctant to marry Alireza, Sepideh insisted she come on the trip to meet Ahmad. Elly initially refused the invitation, as an engaged woman but, following pressure from Sepideh, eventually accepted. Alireza arrives and attacks Ahmad, then asks Sepideh whether Elly had refused her invitation to go on holiday. Sepideh wants to protect the honour of Elly and tell the truth but, following pressure from the others who feel threatened by Alireza, lies and tells him that Elly accepted the invitation without hesitation.

In the climactic scene, Alireza is shown identifying Elly in a mortuary, breaking down in tears