Films Of 2012 - No.9

Films Of 2012 - No. 9

About Elly (Dir. Asghar Farhadi)


Asghar Farhadi won plaudits from everyman and his dog for his brilliant Oscar winning drama A Separation. After that film’s success 2012 brought the UK release of his previous film, About Elly, which won the Silver Bear at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival.

 A group of friends travel from Tehran to a seaside villa for a holiday. Amongst them is the titular Elly who has very little connection to the group apart from being the teacher of some of the children. The group invited her in order to meet their single friend Ahmad in the hope that they might take a liking to each other.

To say any more would spoil what is a compelling drama. It has been described by some as a “moral whodunit” which is an accurate description of what makes the film so great. About Elly is a drama about morality and the fallout of lies but is very intricately constructed like the very best thrillers. The significance of some seemingly minor details in the film’s first hour only become relevant in the second. Farhadi refrains from showing certain conversations and actions in order to create tension. Most importantly Farhadi doesn’t spoil his ending with convoluted plotting but instead reflects on society in modern day Iran.

It may not be quite as good as A Separation, but About Elly is a superbly crafted drama from a very talented writer and director.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BFI LFF 2016: HEAL THE LIVING - Dir. Katell Quillévéré

Image
A synopsis can sometimes do a film no favours and describing the story in Katell Quillévéré’s third feature would bring to mind any number of hospital dramas. The key to the film’s power lies in the Quillévéré’s execution: finding the small moments of humanity amongst the enormity of the situation the characters face. It’s life and death, but not as the movies know it. Adapted from an acclaimed novel by Maylis de Kerangal, Heal The Living introduces Simon (Gabin Verdet) climbing out of his girlfriend’s bedroom window to catch the early morning tide with two surfing friends. In strictest terms, he’s travelling through the night to stand in the sea on a slab of polyurethane, but it’s his passion for the surf that Quillévéré captures (through some quite breath-taking underwater and in water photography). Just hours later, Simon is declared brain dead after a severe car crash and his parents Marianne and Vincent (Emanuelle Seigner and Kool Shen) must decide whether to donate their so
Read more

Sunshine - Dir. Danny Boyle

Image
It’s been a few years since I last watched Danny Boyle’s blistering space drama and although the likes of Gravity and Interstellar have dazzled and amazed in that time, Sunshine really is the pick of the bunch and is still (probably) somewhat underrated. Space Craft The film still looks absolutely fantastic and has aged incredibly well, primarily because of an approach to the design that places functionality ahead of an overt style. Production designer Mark Tildesley and director of photography Alwin Küchler worked together to limit the use of reds, oranges and yellows in the design of the ship’s interior to deprive the viewer of those colours, so that the visual impact of the sun’s glow is amplified whenever it appears on screen. The design never draws attention away from the drama and feels like a natural progression from the technology of today, but it still feels somewhat futuristic. To add to this invisible design, the pair also built in enough lighting into the ship’s
Read more

John Wick - Dir. Chad Stahleski & David Leitch

Image
A thoroughly juvenile action bore that’s sole aim is to be described as “awesome” and “cool” as Keanu Reeves kills an undefined number of de facto bad guys. There’s a complete disinterest in story and characters that ultimately denotes the occasionally distinctive visuals as completely pointless.
Read more