Todos Lo Saben / Everybody Knows (2019)

Rating: 4/10
Genre: Drama
Related Titles: The Past, The Salesman, A Separation
By Leanne Harragan 

When Laura and her family travel to Spain for her sister's wedding, the reunion turns sour when her daughter is kidnapped, leading to a web of secrets.

Todos Lo Saben is a solid film, it has a strong cast with recognisable stars leading with strong performances, it has a good plot that definitely gets stronger as the film goes on. It's biggest downfall is that it plays out more like a TV drama that could have been a one-off show rather than a feature length film. 

Given away by the title, this is a Spanish language film with subtitles. Spanish films are rarely shown in local cinemas, I think this is the first time I've seen one on the big screen, so I obviously jumped at the chance of watching this. Foreign language films are always an interesting insight into other cultures and for me personally a great way to practise Spanish!

As I've already mentioned the cast were strong. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are both excellent actors and this is no exception! When Laura's (Cruz) eldest daughter is kidnapped during a family wedding all the trust and beliefs this family hold are tested. Cruz is the strongest in playing her role of devastated mother, she gives a moving performance and has good chemistry with on-screen ex Bardem. 

The plot is strong, after introducing the characters of Laura, her two kids and some characters from Laura's past, the disappearance of one of her children plays outs well. The plot definitely thickens along the way, with skeletons coming out of closets and familial bonds being tested. Unfortunately, everything is slowed down to such a rate that it's hard to keep the audiences interest and it eventually fizzles out with a disappointing ending. The eventual 'big' reveal was dragged out for far too long, leaving the ending easily predictable and leaving the film without really going anywhere in particular. 

While I enjoyed the performances and the setting (the location they shot was very scenic and allowed for some visually pleasing scenes), the film falls short in creating a fully engaging plot to carry through the 133 minute run time.