Oscar Award-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has expanded his experience to include this Spanish speaking import. Penelope Cruz comes home to her village outside Madrid for a wedding, but an unfortunate event upsets everything. Even though this could have been a crime caper, Farhadi has focused on the impact this has on the family (including the good friend played by Javier Bardem). There’s no suspense or much effort put into solving the crime. That’s secondary to the intense interactions that develop. Like his other films, there’s lots of talking and examining the complexity of the relationships. Thanks to Farhadi’s direction and the performances, this is an intelligently written and always compelling drama. In Spanish with subtitles. (Criterion Cinemas only)
(3.5 / 5)