Everybody Knows Movie Review

Everybody Knows, the latest offering from director Asghar Farhadi, is an interesting choice because the Iranian director chose to make a film in Spanish. He was able to snag a stellar cast and created a somewhat interesting storyline for them to navigate.

Laura (Penelope Cruz) returns home to a city just outside Madrid for her sister’s wedding. Her two children, Irene and Diego, accompany her. The whole family gathers together for the wedding including Laura’s old boyfriend Paco (Javier Bardem) and his wife Bea (Bárbara Lennie). Sometime during the rowdy reception the electricity goes out and Laura’s daughter Irene goes missing.

The rest of the movie consists of the family searching for Irene and trying to deduce what happened to her. During the course of the search, secrets emerge about the family that cast shadows on who might have something to do with Irene’s disappearance. The movie had mystery and a little suspense and I was definitely interested in what actually happened to Irene. The dynamic between Cruz and Bardem was phenomenal, which is what you’d expect from two dynamite actors who are married in real life. The supporting characters were developed well and I found them to be just as interesting as Laura and Paco.

However, the ending was not as satisfying as I’d hoped it would be. I left feeling “eh” about the movie as a whole. Everybody Knows was definitely not my favorite Farhadi film but it had enough intrigue to keep me watching.

Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You’re a fan of Farhadi
2. You like mysteries
3. You want to see killer chemistry between Cruz and Bardem