A critical Reading on a movie: " About Eli"

Representation is not a direct reflection of the outside world; rather, it is a biased image of the reality related to the social context and the current ideological processes of the society. Media show a representational image of reality, especially when demonstrate the reality of women’s life in television serials. What is portrayed about women is in accord with the corresponding social context and the ideologies hidden in social norms. These norms are neither neutral nor objective. Rather, they are in harmony with the profits of those classes having social power. Naturalizing what is in essence historical, is what Barthes names it myth. According to Barthes social life is full of myths, which aremeaning systems whose meaning should not be taken for granted. Myth will guarantee the group interests by naturalizing what is historical. Barthes historical approach, and his efforts on unveiling the interests of some social forces existing in the popular culture, is interesting. This article will analyze the movie “About Eli …” directed by Asghar Farhadi, using this approach in order to discover the hidden meanings of the film and unveiling the myth of “inefficiency of woman” in its different meaning making layers. The article includes two parts. In the first part considering the theory of representation, Barthes’ theory of myth is explored. In the second part, as Barthes views the semiology as a method for ideological criticism and unveiling the myth, this method is used to analyzing them movie “About Eli …” in order to unveil the myth hidden in the movie and its constructive discourse.