A nearly-flawless blend of mystery and culture from the writer/director of THE SALESMAN
One title which managed to wow the film world back in 2016 was The Salesman; director Asghar Farhadi’s tale about an Iranian couple whose marriage is thrown into an emotional disarray following a brutal attack, which was a breathtaking piece of cinema. While the film took its time in telling the dark and complex story, it nonetheless emerged as one of the most compelling films of the year, becoming the country’s entry at the Oscars in 2017 and eventually taking home the prize for Best Foreign Language Film. In spite of being the very definition of a slow burn, the emotional journey was oh so largely worth it because of the way Farhadi carefully made the effort to really talk about who the couple at the center of his film were and what made them who they are. Now the director carries over that same curiosity regarding character and culture to a film that’s just as rich as The Salesman was all the while crafting a solid genre piece that’s compelling from beginning to end.
In Everybody Knows, the happily married Laura (Penelope Cruz) returns to her hometown near Madrid to attend her younger sister Ana’s (Inma Cuesta) wedding. Upon arriving, Laura and her children are warmly greeted by all her family, as well as Paco (Javier Bardem), her childhood friend (and former lover) and his wife Bea (Barbara Lennie). Although the wedding goes off without a hitch, things take a nightmarish turn when Laura discovers that her teenage daughter Irene (Carla Campra) has been taken from the guest bedroom she was sleeping in. Soon after, Laura receives a text message demanding a ransom of 300,000 euros in exchange for Irene’s safe return. As Laura tries to desperately find her daughter, she soon finds herself unsure of who she can actually trust.
The most remarkable aspect about Everybody Knows is that someone of Farhadi’s background and social experience could have made it. The specificity in regards to the Spanish family and culture is such a crucial element of the plot, beyond achieving a sense of place. This is a land full of culture and tradition that also enjoys a carefully measured feeling of liberation. It’s a world where family members know (for the most part, anyhow) what’s happening in the worlds of their siblings, parents, cousins, nieces and nephews; a world where secrets seldom last long and openness is a generally expected way of life. Farhadi gets the meaning and symbolism of all of it and brilliantly interprets it into a mystery which boldly challenges the culture by testing the familial ties which bind it. In doing this, Everybody Knows, and the mystery acting as the story’s centerpiece, allows several characters in the film, (particularly Laura and Paco) to face the ghosts of the past, which they have long since kept buried. In a culture largely defined by honor and loyalty, Laura and her family cannot help but confront past resentments and demons thanks to the earth-shattering ordeal fate has placed in front of them.
Other than fans of the real-life couple starring in the film (whose romantic energy is just as palpable as ever), it’s lovers of international cinema and mystery audiences which will be eager to lap up the subtly absorbing film. There is an enticing mystery flowing throughout, which only becomes more and more gripping as the drama amongst the characters intensifies, especially after Laura’s husband Alejandro (Ricardo Darin) arrives following his daughter’s disappearance. It’s really the title which perfectly blends the spirit of the culture and the crux of the mystery together, however. In a family that’s greatly rooted in closeness, where knowledge of every member’s life is shared and understood amongst the entire unit, the idea that one of them could be responsible for such a horrifying act is unthinkable. On an emotional level, the idea represents a huge fraying at the culture which has defined Laura and her family, while carefully amping up the suspense in terms of storytelling as Everybody Knows finds itself with an intriguing collection of suspects. Who Laura can trust, and who she must put on an act for, already adds to her fragile state of mind as even her own credibility eventually starts to be questioned by the audience.
Cruz and Bardem have always been solid and remarkable actors in their own individual rights. Yet, there’s something so explosive when watching the two of them together, regardless of the kind of scene they’re in. The two have such a rhythm and chemistry that makes their ability for understanding character essence soar. Everybody Knows is loaded with scenes featuring both Cruz and Bardem talking about the central mystery as well as their unspoken past. Each of these scenes carries enough soul and power thanks to the two of them and the irrefutable magic they can conjure up. Apart from them, it’s the tormented Campra and the haunted Darin as their respective spouses which offer up the only performances capable enough of keeping up with the two mesmerizing leads.
I know that it’s still quite early in the new film year (the film world is still fuming over Green Book’s big Oscar win) to be giving any film awards consideration for 2020. Still, Everybody Knows has officially earned the right to be called a worthy front runner. Every aspect of Farhadi’s film works, from the acting, to the screenplay. Yet it’s the essence of Everybody Knows that deepens it beyond its mystery DNA. It’s the story of two people whose culture has defined their lives and their daringness to fight against it in the face of a situation that is quite literally the definition of life and death.