EVERYBODY KNOWS GALA D: Asghar Farhadi. France, Spain, Italy. 133 min. Sep 8, 3:30 pm, Roy Thomson Sep 9, 10 am, Ryerson Sep 12, 9:30 pm, Princess of Wales Sep 15, 5 pm, Elgin. See listing. Rating: NNN
A mélange of fast-moving entertainment and turgid melodrama, of high-wattage actors battling low-rent dialogue, Farhadi’s first foray outside of Iran will please a Gala audience looking for star power (Pénelope Cruz and Javier Bardem).
But this Spanish potboiler is a far cry from the observational acumen of the director’s two Oscar winners (A Separation, The Salesman). There’s a difference between emotional turmoil used as a plot device and the organic development of a character.
Even so, it’s a pleasure to watch the sparks ignited by Cruz and Bardem’s ex-lovers thrown together by a chance encounter at a wedding.
