Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz Are Shooting a Thriller With Asghar Farhadi

The Oscars were all the way back in February, but perhaps you’ll recall a noteworthy moment that was largely overshadowed by the monumental goof at the program’s close. The Academy Award for Best Foreign Film was given to Iran’s Asghar Farhadi for his film The Salesman, and the celebrated director sent Iranian-American engineer and CEO Anousheh Ansari to collect the statuette in his stead. He had remained home in solidarity with those Middle Eastern citizens barred entry from America under the current Commander-in-Chief’s immigration crackdown, creating a charged political moment that hopefully drew some new eyeballs to his uniformly excellent body of work.

And if that didn’t do it, maybe this will: Variety has reported that Farhadi has begun production on his next feature in Spain, and it’ll be a film of firsts. For one, Everybody Knows will be his first film in the Spanish language, as opposed to his native Persian. And with Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem toplining, it’ll be Farhadi’s first film boasting globally-recognized movie stars. What’s more, the Variety item describes Everybody Knows as a psychological thriller that “follows the journey of Carolina as she travels with her family from Buenos Aires to her hometown in Spain for a celebration. Meant to be a brief visit, the trip is disturbed by unforeseen events that will completely change the lives of Carolina and her family.” The psycho-thriller genre could be uncharted territory for a bred theatre director most comfortable mounting domestic dramas. Though, then again, all of his films concern psychology and are thrilling, to some extent. So, who knows.

At any rate, it looks like it’ll be his biggest operation to date, and that cast, whew! World cinema enthusiasts, take notice, and everyone else, prepare to become a world cinema enthusiast. (Do yourself a favor and rent A Separation at your earliest convenience. Also, bring tissues.)