In true Hitchcockian fashion, EVERYBODY KNOWS is an absorbing film filled with twists and turns and the mesmerizing ambiguity of “who dunnit” when Laura returns to hometown outside Madrid with her two children to attend her sister’s wedding. Amidst the large familial celebration and rekindling of old friendships, Laura’s teenaged daughter Irene goes missing.
Written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, clues abound (including some possible MacGuffins) within the story structure as to what has happened to Irene while casting suspicion on a multiplicity of people who may know more than what they are saying. Not the least of this suspicion falls upon Laura herself, her husband who has not travelled with the family to Madrid, and Laura’s ex-boyfriend and first love, Paco. What baggage or secrets from the past does one truly carry through life? Is it always there, haunting, and even taunting, like a spectre? And what are the chances those secrets will come to light? The electrifying chemistry alone between Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem is enough to set the stage for suspicion and suspense.
One of the keys to the strength of the film is Farhadi’s story construction and particularly as to character development. But compounding that is the excellence with which he has cast the film. Thanks to the subtleties in dialogue and delivery by the respective actors, as well as their individual facial expressiveness and body language, there is ambiguity as to the truthfulness and honesty of each character’s story, thus keeping the audience on its toes. By the second act, we have a Rogue’s Gallery of people with secrets and suspicion.
Javier Bardem is dynamic. He commands the screen the entire film and in a third act reveal, the heartbreak and joy that he brings to Paco just tears you apart. An incredibly powerful performance from Bardem that also allows the moviegoing audience to see a lighter, fun-loving and playful side of him. The range of emotion he conveys is beyond palpable. And then to see him play against Penelope Cruz is nothing short of a delight. These two are lightning in a bottle.
When we meet Laura, Cruz’s performance is ebullient and effervescent as if Laura doesn’t have a care in the world. However, as she reunites with her family in Madrid and is now interacting with them, we see a shift in tone, a more sedate Laura takes hold, only to then shift again to that of a distraught and histrionic panicked mother. Cruz is compelling and her performance laced with subtleties that draw us ever deeper into the story and Laura’s world.
But it’s that chemistry between Bardem and Cruz that allows for ambiguity and suspicion to play out when it comes to Laura’s husband Alejandro played by Ricardo Darin. There is no chemistry at all between Cruz and Darin which lays the groundwork for potential marital troubles between Laura and Alejandro and the possibility he knows something about Irene’s disappearance. A ploy to strengthen his wife’s affections perhaps?
Hearts will melt at the sight of Ivan Chivero as Laura’s young son, Diego. You just want to hug him and look at his happy smiling little face forever. As Irene, Carla Campra turns on a dime from loving older sister and happy-go-lucky teen pushing the envelope of what she can get away with (smoking, drinking, hanging with an older boy she just met) to terror personified. To see the emotion Campra brings to the table in act three will have you on the edge of your seat.
One of the standout performances of EVERYBODY KNOWS comes from Eduard Fernandez as Fernando. Questions swirl around him the entire film which then extend to his retired detective friend. With every word, every movement, a new question comes to light. His entire performance is ambiguity personified, making Fernando a very interesting character.
But then there’s the work of cinematographer José Luis Alcaine and production designer María Clara Notari. Location and lensing add their own layers of storytelling while the design of the Madrid home belonging to Fernando where the wedding is taking place and where Laura and her family are staying is perfection. The twists and turns of the staircases in Fernando’s home metaphorically speak to the twists and turns of the story while simultaneously giving us a claustrophobic sense as to Laura’s emotions and the secrets everyone is holding. It also adds to the suspense by making us question where Irene disappeared to. The house is small and everyone is on top of everyone, so how do you lose a person?
Shooting in the town of Torrelaguna, Farhadi integrates the centuries old buildings and architecture into the story itself, showcasing the region’s history and beautiful watchtowers, the town square, the Iglesia Santa Maria Magdalena and the open spaces as you leave the town proper. Shooting in this village and the town square in particular, brings a familial intimacy and believability to the forefront. Beautifully constructed visual design.
Interesting is that Farhadi and Alcaine keep the lighting and visual tonal bandwidth light. Rooms are well lit either with cold daylight or sunlight, candles and outdoor twinkle lights. Candlelight rooms are exquisitely lensed with a warmth and golden glow that mirrors the love of family. Rich inky blue-black flashlight and headlight lit night scenes during a torrential rainstorm have a beauty of their own as these single light sources speak to a single-focused search for Irene. As night turns to day, camera angles widen as possibilities are bandied about as to what has happened. Farhadi goes against the oft used trope of a dark visual tone and excessive use of negative space, opting to not cloak things in darkness. He let’s the story and performances lead us.
Javier Limon’s scoring completes the tonal mood.
Most fascinating is the ambiguity of the film’s end. Have all of our questions been answered? Are the revelations and truths uncovered, the actual truths? Does everybody really know? Or is there still more than meets the eye? Farhadi lets the audience decide for themselves, leading to discussion and thought long after the curtain falls.
Written and Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Cast: Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darin, Eduard Fernandez
by debbie elias, 02/05/2019
