Remember my first movie of 2019
Fahati has always been a director I admire very much. From "A Farewell" to "Salesman", people are always discussing whether he is going backwards, but in my opinion, we have never known him correctly.
"Everybody Knows" is the opening film of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and Fahadi's first Spanish film. As an audience, while appreciating his Iranian background film, he is also looking forward to this film. Coupled with the opening film, husband and wife file, all-star and other entries, the audience's expectations for this movie are getting higher and higher. The ratings of the Cannes show were not satisfactory (but not the worst). Some people began to criticize Fahati madly, but such comments are undoubtedly too one-sided. After all, there is so much expectation that there is so much disappointment.
"Everybody Knows" tells the story of a family. Laura is a Spanish woman who came to Argentina to live with her husband after getting married. Many years later, she returned to Spain with a son and a daughter to attend her sister's wedding. At the wedding, people laughed and played, but a bizarre mess happened. Laura's daughter Elena was kidnapped, and the kidnappers demanded a high ransom from Laura, and the story began. Laura’s ex-boyfriend, Paco, bought a piece of land from Laura’s house many years ago. He is the only person around Laura who can collect the ransom. Unexpectedly, Paco is Jelena’s father, Laura’s husband also knows about it, and all Laura’s family also know about it, but Paco is the only one who doesn’t know. When people began to suspect that the family committed the crime, Paco collected the ransom, Jelena was released, and everything was over...
Many people use these two words to evaluate this movie, that is, dog blood. But I think such a thing is entirely possible, but the film did not give us adequate preparation. Remember, life is often more bloody than movies.
First of all, many people think that the fragment of real dog blood is undoubtedly when Laura tells Paco Elina is his daughter. But in fact, movies still have a lot of slots. What puzzles me is that the biggest accomplice in the kidnapping case didn't have any sense of existence until the 110th minute of the whole show. This is a very embarrassing operation. Secondly, Laura's family, who saw her daughter again, did not respond to the incident of her daughter being kidnapped for many days. They did not hold it accountable, but set off to go home immediately, which is also very strange. Did Laura know that her family was committing crimes and wanted to satisfy her face? Or do you feel that your daughter has returned and is unnecessary to be held accountable? unknown. Also, what kind of existence is the boy Felipe in the play? Is he an accomplice? Jelena appeared in a trance after smoking the cigarette that Felipe gave, which made Felipe seem to have a lot to do with the kidnapping case. But there is no explanation and no hint in the play, which is puzzling.
Although this movie is indeed unsatisfactory, it is not as bad as many people spray it. First, many people equate the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival with a good film. I think this is unfair. The opening film of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival "The Ghost of Ismail" also surprised people. Second, Fahati’s films were praised for many reasons because his Iranian identity gave him a lot of inspiration. When his feet leave the Iranian soil, it takes a long time to break in. Obviously he doesn't quite understand the shooting skills of Spanish films, and he hasn't considered thoroughly the background of the story. Third, the Cannes Film Festival, as the authoritative award of the world film session, is extremely attractive to any director, not to mention a director who has the Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear and Oscars like Fahadi. He has been successful in the French film industry, and he also wants to show his glory on the Spanish soil. This feeling is understandable. But no matter if he is a blunder, or he is eager for Palme d'Or, it can't conceal the failure of this movie.
In fact, many well-known directors have more or less works that they can’t produce. This "Everybody Knows" is Fahadi's abnormal work. Although the overall level is not good, it is worth mentioning that Fahati’s shooting techniques are admirable, his shots are still clear and bright, and his skills are still online in terms of shooting techniques. Secondly, I think that regardless of whether the plot is bloody or not, the actors are really very careful. I saw a lot of familiar faces in the play, and their interpretation is gratifying. Baden Cruz’s husband and wife file did not feel boring in this movie, and it surpassed people’s imagination of ordinary husband and wife files. This is also a highlight of the show.
After watching the movie, I personally think that Fahati should learn how to adapt to the film environment and get rid of the restrictions of the Iranian plot. This places high demands on a director. The degree of prohibition of the plot and the plot arrangement still need to be strengthened. If you think about it carefully, this story may not be true. There are many more bloody stories in reality, but the director's lens adds a lot of fiction to this story.
But in any case, I still believe that Fahati can still bring more surprises to the audience, and then fight Palme d’Or.
View more about Everybody Knows reviews
