Everybody Knows

Iranian master of cinema Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, The Salesman) is known for his nail-biting domestic dramas, but here he works in more explicit thriller tropes as the fallout from a kidnapping exposes a family's secrets. Unfolding against the hot dust, cramped living quarters and crumbling brickwork of rural Spain, the film boasts real-life couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem as ex-lovers, throwing in Ricardo Darín as the former's current spouse. When Cruz's Laura returns to her home town for her sister's wedding, the excitement of the family reunion culminates in an ecstatic celebration, yet torrential rain descends as the night closes in and, following a power cut, Laura's teenage daughter disappears. Old resentments rear their heads in tandem with ransom demands, while a retired police officer insists it's an inside job, prompting Laura to regard those around her with suspicion. The paranoia is palpable, the family feuds are tasty, yet the film builds tension towards predictable revelations, favouring the obvious over the enigmatic. Regardless, the emotional force of Cruz and Bardem's performances is often enough to transform the melodrama into majesty.