Everybody Knows

Written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, Everybody Knows follows Penélope Cruz’s Laura as she returns to her hometown with her daughter (Carla Campra’s Irene) to attend her sister’s wedding – with the happy event shattered by an unexpected development that eventually brings Laura into conflict with her husband (Ricardo Darín’s Alejandro) and close friend (Javier Bardem’s Paco). Filmmaker Farhadi delivers an intriguing opening stretch that’s rife with promise, to be sure, as Everybody Knows’ first act, which revolves mostly around the buildup to the wedding, benefits from an almost chaotic atmosphere that’s heightened by an undercurrent of palpable tension (ie it’s clear that this is all building to something rather sinister). It’s clear, then, that the picture’s undoing is a result of its progressively tedious and hopelessly stagnant midsection, as Farhadi, who employs as deliberate a pace as one could possibly envision, places an aggressive (and aggravating) emphasis on the personal dramas and familial strife that ensues in the wake of the aforementioned unexpected development – with the repetitive vibe compounded by an almost shocking lack of urgency and suspense (ie given what’s occurred, these characters should be far, far more worried than they actually are). The various revelations that make up the movie’s final stretch land with a pronounced thud, certainly, and it is, in the end, impossible not to label Everybody Knows as yet another misfire from a curiously well-regarded director.

*1/2 out of ****