Everybody Knows (Asghar Farhadi)

[Grouchy]

[Peng]

I still have a few of his early works left to see, but this is Farhadi's "worst" to date for me, which is still pretty ok. This feels like him on airport thriller mode. His filmmaking, in parceling both visual and character information for maximum intrigue and suspense, remains gripping. But this time it feels all so surface, a standard genre workout that might be impressive for any other director but feels like a big comedown coming from him, without any signature underlying thematic richness to deepen the narrative further. Still taut fun, and Bardem is particularly great in being the film's pivot on that titular acknowledgement. 6.5/10

[Grouchy]

I've read something to that effect from almost every review of the film, and while it's true that the film isn't as memorable as A Separation or The Past, I was still gripped throughout and came away satisfied with the ambiguous ending. Bardem is MVP here, but Cruz and DarÃ*n are perfectly cast for their respective acting abilities. This is a film well worth watching for anyone.