BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

smiljana-859-460774 Pointless and boring. Expected more from the director of "Separatiion". "Past" wasn't bad also, but these "Salesman" and "About Elli" far from good movie maker.

borislav_dimitrov I became a big fan of Mr Farhadi after I watched ''A Separation'' by coincidence on the TV. Then I watched ''The Salesman'', ''The Past'' and ''Beautiful City''. All of them are wonderful movies but this one, ''About Elly'', is probably the most distant from the universal/ global dimensions and messages of Farhadi's movies. I am very curious and interested in the Iranian/ Persian culture and customs and have started to collect information about them, even plan to start to study Farsi and/ or one day to visit Iran. Nevertheless, the story in ''About Elly'' remains for me a bit unrealistic/ non-authentic as Elly is only engaged and having a fiancee for 2 years, so, it might not be extremely difficult for a woman like her to refuse a marriage and to annul the engagement. Even though with some negative consequences for her but bearing in mind that engagement is only a promise for a marriage but still not the marriage itself. And if a marriage is not happening 2 years after the engagement, then it might be admissible simply to go off the engagement.The big goof in this otherwise very strong and emotional movie is what would have happened, if Elly and Ahmad had matched and decided to go together in the usual way? Elly would have to announce the end of the engagement and to accept a new one or directly to marry Ahmad. The power of the promise in the engagement is widely known and applied in Europe at least up to the end of the WWII but it had never been equal to the union of the marriage and, although rarely, could have been annulled in an easier way than a marriage.Therefore, Elly's situation in the story of the movie seems a bit non-authentic and probably not quite understandable for people outside of or unfamiliar to the Iranian culture, which makes the movie weighting less than the other Farhadi's movies.I presume the authors of the movie wanted to raise again the issue of the social situation of women in Iran and their right of independence and free choice of a partner. Probably this is a reason to present Elly's story in this way. However,if Elly had just ''escaped'' from her fiancee with Ahmad, it would have been a worse and less acceptable decision than simply annulling the engagement with an open and honest announcement. I can appreciate the call for more freedom and social rights to women in general and in Iran, but this might not be linked to ''copying'' the ''bad'' from the ''western model'' - dishonesty and attempt for or a true cheating. Interpreting the movie in a broader way, probably this behaviour somehow justified the tragic end of Elly in the story. Faithful to his style, Farhadi leaves the final of the movie a bit open - what will happen with Sepideh - the friend who had invited Elly in the trip and who had lied to her husband and the others about the story; also - who will inform Elly's family about her death - her fiancee or the others, probably the fiancee will prefer to have Elly dishonored (in a response to her betrayal from his point of view and according to the customs in the country)?The fact that this is 58th review of this movie here and the overall rating is above 8 out 10 shows that it makes us think and feel and definitely it is a movie worth a watching.Great anticipation for the new movie of Mr Farhadi - ''Everybody Knows'', just to be released in a few days...

tenshi_ippikiookami This movie is about Elly. And not. Totally not about Elly, "About Elly" is an amazing movie, with great direction, amazing acting and a superb plot, that has so many layers, so many surprises and so many little details that you will not be able to stop watching.And it all starts in a quite relaxing manner, so relaxed that it wouldn't be a surprise if in the first 10-15 minutes you thought this was a 'realistic' movie of some families having a short holiday at the beach. But then things start to happen, and then more things, and if you didn't have enough, more things. The plot relies a lot in secrets within secrets, and in the actors capacity to deliver the dialogue with grit and authenticity. And the whole cast those an incredible job, with Golshifteh Farahani's Sepideh at its center. Farahani's interpretation will make the viewer worry and suffer with her character, till they are grabbing their hair in desperation at all that is happening on these holidays that were supposed to be so much fun."About Elly" is a drama and a mystery, an incredible tense movie, and an superb study of human psychology. Totally recommended.

floatingpolarbear At two hours long this is way too drawn out. They could have cut out half an hour and not missed anything. I wish they had left out the Borat style male only dancing. This story covers no new territory, and doesn't bother attempting to entertain. In the end it's a vehicle for delivering some infuriating anti-woman morality lesson that must be the norm inside modern day Iran but is certainly not appropriate for international consumption. The director's camera lingers in sympathy on characters that deserve no sympathy and insists on driving home the point of their victim-hood all the while absolutely blind to the way the characters, director and scriptwriter are victimizing womankind in general and the story's heroine in particular. Zero responsibility assigned to the male characters but they are entitled to huff and puff and hit women and judge them. Go play some beach volleyball...