Director: Asghar Farhadi

Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, Payman Maadi, Mani Haghighi

Darbareie Elly is a 2009 Iranian drama film directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, and Payman Maadi. The film centers on a group of Tehran friends whose holiday trip to the Caspian shore unravels when one member of their party vanishes without explanation.

What is Darbareie Elly about?

A group of middle-class Tehran friends travel to the northern coast of Iran for a long weekend getaway. Among them is Elly, a young woman invited along by her acquaintance Sepideh, partly as a potential match for Ahmad, a recently divorced man newly returned from abroad. When Elly goes missing under unclear circumstances, the mood shifts from carefree to desperate. The search that follows forces each character to confront what they actually know about Elly, what truths they have been keeping from one another, and how far they are willing to go to manage the consequences of that disappearance. Farhadi constructs tension not from the mystery itself but from the social and moral pressure building within the group as secrets surface one by one.

Cast & crew

Golshifteh Farahani plays Sepideh, the organizer of the trip whose choices drive much of the dramatic tension. Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti, and Payman Maadi anchor the ensemble alongside Mani Haghighi, Ra'na Azadivar, Ahmad Mehranfar, and Saber Abbar. The cast collectively creates a believable social circle whose bonds are tested under pressure.

Context & significance

Directed by Asghar Farhadi before his international breakthrough, Darbareie Elly stands as an important work in contemporary Iranian cinema. For diaspora viewers, the film offers a precisely observed portrait of urban Iranian social life — the way friendships are maintained, the role of obligation and face-saving, and the complex ethics of group loyalty. The northern Caspian setting, familiar to many Iranian families as a holiday destination, grounds the story in an immediately recognizable cultural landscape. The film examines how ordinary people respond when a shared situation demands transparency but social convention resists it. It earned the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Where & how to watch

Darbareie Elly is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, cancel anytime.