Many pundits already predict that Penélope Cruz may be a double Oscar nominee this year, in the same category. Her work in THE INVITE and LA BOLA NEGRA could enshrine her as the first actress to be nominated twice in the same category, now that the Academy’s rules have changed to allow such a thing. Cruz is an amazing talent, one of the world’s best actresses. Her husband is no slouch either, and both deliver extraordinary performances in Florian Zeller’s new film BUNKER. It had its Midwest premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival this past week, and I’m still thinking about it. I hope you’ll seek it out when it’s released here in America, though the exact date has yet to be determined.
Zeller is the French playwright and novelist who adapted his award-winning play THE FATHER for his big-screen directing debut, and his efforts earned him the 2020 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. (Star Anthony Hopkins took home Best Actor, you’ll recall.) With BUNKER, Zeller treads similar ground: the story unfolds mostly in a home, where a domestic drama plays out with exquisite precision in the script, acting, editing, and production design, all under Zeller’s direction.
Miguel and Sofia Moreno (Bardem and Cruz) are an affluent couple living in a modern home designed by architect Miguel. He’s an award-winning talent, getting press and interviews left and right, and he hopes it will take him to the next level in his career. Sofia works in publishing and is excited about a new American author that her company his promoting. They have two young daughters, Lucia and Rosa (played by real-life sisters Chloe Conh and Leah Conh), an adorable cat named Blue, and so many invitations to parties and gallery openings that Miguel has started finding ways to avoid them. It seems like the world is their oyster, and their lives look stunning, but as they say, never judge a book by its cover.
Sofia wants to be the top editor of the company’s fiction department, but for now she must settle for heading the department that translates books into other languages. Miguel wants jobs creating new museums and hospitals to come his way, but the best offer on the table is a self-absorbed billionaire’s request to build a bunker in case of a world catastrophe. Paul Dano is both funny and scary in his single scene as the Elon Musk/Mark Zuckerberg-esque one-percenter. The story is about being shut out or cut off from human beings, you see, with even the Moreno girls doing their own thing and, more often than not, being bothered by their curious parents. Even Blue has a penchant for escape, going in and out of the house as he pleases. too,
Then one day, their life is interrupted when the wall they’ve built to enclose their tony property is partially destroyed. Their neighbor, Toby (Stephen Graham), knocks a hole in it so his garage, which he’s turning into a studio, can have a window to let the sunshine in. Miguel takes this as a serious offense and tries to negotiate with the working-class Brit, but the proud Cockney isn’t obliged to give the Morenos an inch to their privacy or condescending airs.
From there, numerous conflicts arise, especially between Miguel and Sofia, as the growing chasm of self-absorption widens. Soon, they wonder whether they can trust each other or whether love has drained from their marriage after 17 years together. Sofia makes one of the film’s best observations: fragile marriages are the most successful because their delicacy keeps partners working to strengthen the bond. She adds that marriages deemed solid can break too easily because no one thinks they need to keep growing together.
That growing chasm lets Bardem and Cruz showcase their talents as they dramatize many ugly truths of marriage. Zeller makes neither character a villain; instead, both are incredibly likable and may have stayed at the dance too long. It’s not only tense, but heartbreaking, like much of THE FATHER was during its run in theaters and on the big screen.
Telling you more would spoil the fun, but Zeller leans into plenty of symbolism, including a fire-engine-red kitchen wall that serves as a backdrop for characters’ rage, embarrassment, or passion at different times. Mark Gattis, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Sarah Hadland are terrific in supporting roles, making vivid impressions with little screen time. And Zeller’s shrewd yet subtle choreography throughout lets body language and blocking speak volumes even when the characters aren’t speaking.
Zeller is one of contemporary cinema’s most fascinating filmmakers, and this sly character study that often acts like a thriller is another impressive contribution to cinema. As for Bardem and Cruz, well, they are acting royalty and play off each other incredibly well. They have acted opposite each other many times, but this might be their best duel yet. In a just year, they’d both be in the Oscar conversation, along with Zeller. And who knows? Maybe Cruz could pull down three Oscar nods this season. We shall see…
