Real-life husband and wife Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz headline Florian Zeller's latest film, "Bunker," a thriller exploring the intense pressures within a marriage. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
In "Bunker," Bardem and Cruz portray a couple whose marriage faces significant strain. Bardem plays Miguel, a renowned Spanish architect living a life of affluence in London with his wife Sofia, played by Cruz, who works in publishing. The couple has two daughters.
Amidst their seemingly perfect life, subtle warnings emerge, such as Sofia's observation that solid things can break while fragile ones require more care to endure. Marital friction escalates when Miguel is commissioned by a prominent tech billionaire to design a luxurious, "Armageddon-proof" bunker in Hawaii. The immense budget is secondary to Sofia's disapproval of the project, which she views as a frivolous indulgence compared to her husband's more humanitarian designs for hospitals and opera houses.
Parallel to this, Miguel becomes embroiled in a dispute with a working-class neighbor, Toby (Stephen Graham), who plans to convert his garage into a studio. Miguel's furious reaction, offering to pay for the space to be bricked up and threatening legal action, leads Sofia to believe his values have become distorted, prioritizing wealth over humanity.
Director Florian Zeller, known for his Oscar-winning film "The Father," injects moments of dark humor into the narrative. The secretive nature surrounding the billionaire's identity and a satirical take on modern art, featuring baffling paintings with abstract titles, provide comic relief. The film also employs visual symmetry, drawing parallels between the billionaire's bunker and Miguel's increasing obsession with privacy.
Bardem and Cruz deliver standout performances, seamlessly switching between English and Spanish and showcasing remarkable chemistry. The film's intelligence lies in its exploration of the cost of human decency.
"Bunker" is scheduled for release in the UK in February.