Todos lo saben (Everybody Knows – 2018)

written and directed by Asghar Farhadi

In Todos lo saben (English title: Everybody Knows),  Penélope Cruz plays Laura, a Spanish woman who returns to her hometown village for her sister’s wedding. Tragedy ensues when, the night of the festivities, her teenage daughter Irene (Carla Campra) suddenly disappears. Soon, kidnappers make contact and demand money for Irene’s return. This fairly familiar setup soon becomes more tangled – and not in the usual predictable ways – as it becomes evident that the crime ties not only to Laura’s family, but also her past with an old flame, Paco (Javier Bardem).

Todos lo saben is a slow-burn mystery that focuses more on its characters than in the actual whodunit, with lived-in performances which include a brief but memorable turn from Ricardo Darín as Laura’s husband Alejandro. And that’s precisely what gives the film its uncommon edge, as writer/director Asghar Farhadi subtly turns Todos lo saben into a rather intimate drama in which secrets and resentments hide in plain sight. Some things are better left unsaid.

Rating: ***

Carlos I. Cuevas