• A pulpy page-tuner with strong writing and accomplished acting from Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and the rest of the ensemble
  • Class struggle here is real- history—right up Farhadi’s alley even if in another country and language—everyone has baggage
  • Cruz’s husband is religious and that plays a small part as well
  • They do a good job of making every actor look tired—exhausted—works well
  • Nice clock tower scene
  • It’s a moral maze and mouse-trap—Farhadi but it’s also a fascinating “who-done-it” almost like a Gosford Park film with many suspects under the same roof. Farhadi does seem to forget the kidnapped girl entirely for long stretches
  • The fallout and ultimate antagonist feels weak—a minor character, unsupported by the rest of the film and random—it’ll be interesting to see if it stays in the archives but for now there’s enough
  • Recommend but not near top 10 of 2018