April 30, 2009 02:15PM EDT
Q&A:
About Elly
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Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi is one of the most respected and acclaimed Iranian filmmakers working today. About Elly, his fourth feature, recently earned him the Silver Bear (Best Director prize) at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. He's no stranger to festival success: his prior film, TFF '07 alum Fireworks Wednesday, won Best Feature at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2006, and his first two features, Dancing in the Dust and Beautiful City, also won significant awards at the Moscow, Warsaw and India International Film Festivals.
In About Elly, a group of old law school friends (mostly couples with children) heads to the Caspian Sea for a getaway weekend, something they appear to do each year. What's different this time around, however, is that one of the women has invited her daughter's kindergarten teacher (Elly) along, in hopes of finding a match for the recently-divorced Ahmad, back from Germany on a ten-day holiday.
In the first half of the film, the group warms to Elly, as the audience does to the group. Their interactions—including a charming game of charades—are natural and welcoming. Elly, however, remains at a vague remove while Ahmad is on board wth the matchmaking, until things soon take a turn for the unknown when Elly disappears (which echoes a certain classic Italian flick). The mystery is deepened by the secrecy and casual lies spread among the group.
Following the screening on Wednesday, Tribeca programmer Sara Nodjoumi translated Farhadi's Persian, while one of the actors in the film (Peyman Moaadi) spoke in English. Moaadi explained that the rehearsal period allowed the actors to get to know their characters from all angles—they were encouraged to act out not only their own roles, but also each other's.
The pair then fielded a lively debate about the layers of deceit in the film: interestingly, Farhadi maintained there is only one lie, which gets compounded over time, while other things that seem like deceit to American audiences can be explained by Iranian cultural norms. He did, however, agree that "lying, truth, and honesty are played with and switched around during the film."
Though set in a seaside vacation town in northern Iran, About Elly feels universal. The story—one of friendship, deceit, and mystery—could have been made in any language and still resonate as strongly. While Farhadi is by no means a new filmmaker, he is not well known to American audiences. If there is any justice, that will all change with his appearance in this year's Festival.
Winner: Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature.
As a result, this film will screen two additional times on
Sunday, May 3: 1:45 pm and 9:30 pm.
For tickets, click here.
About Elly screens throughout the Festival. Uncover the mystery for yourself.
Read more Festival Q&As.
April 30, 2009 07:52 PM
monnie m said:
Congratulations
I'm so proud of Mr.Farhadi and Mr.Moadi.It was an honor meeting you all.