About Elly

film by Farhadi [2009]

Also known as: “Darbāreye Elī”

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July 21, 2026

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About Elly (2009) is an Iranian drama film directed by Asghar Farhadi. The story follows a group of friends who travel to the Caspian Sea for a vacation. Tensions and emotional revelations emerge when a young teacher, Elly, disappears during the trip, leading to a complex unraveling of relationships and secrets among the friends. The film explores themes of responsibility, deception, and the consequences of individual actions within a social group. Farhadi's direction in About Elly earned him the Silver Bear award for best director at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival.12

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Asghar Farhadi
In Darbāreye Elī (2009; About Elly), conflicts and emotional revelations arise when a young teacher disappears while vacationing with a group of friends at a seaside cabin. For the drama, Farhadi won the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival’s Silver Bear award for best director.
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In Darbāreye Elī (2009; About Elly), conflicts and emotional revelations arise when a young teacher disappears while vacationing with a group of friends at a seaside cabin. For the drama, Farhadi won the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival’s Silver Bear award for best director.
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History of film
Iran
…movies included Darbāreye Elī (2009; About Elly), in which a teacher disappears while on a seaside vacation with a group of friends; Jodāi-e Nāder az Simin (2011; A Separation), which tells the story of a middle-class couple at odds with each other whose lives become entangled with those of a…
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…movies included Darbāreye Elī (2009; About Elly), in which a teacher disappears while on a seaside vacation with a group of friends; Jodāi-e Nāder az Simin (2011; A Separation), which tells the story of a middle-class couple at odds with each other whose lives become entangled with those of a…
Read More