Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem are arguably Spain’s best-known stars on the international stage. They lived in Los Angeles for a long time but have since returned to Madrid. They first appeared together on screen 34 years ago in *Jamón, jamón* (directed by Bigas Luna, Spain 1992). The two have also been a couple in their private lives for a considerable time. Expectations were therefore high to see them as a married couple in Florian Zeller’s *Bunker*. Bardem plays Miguel, a Spanish architect who has been living in London for several years and has just been awarded a prestigious prize when he receives a financially attractive offer. He is to build a bunker beneath a tech billionaire’s estate in Hawaii. Paul Dano plays the client, not coincidentally reminiscent of Mark Zuckerberg, who tries to persuade the hesitant architect to take on his project during a Zoom call.
Miguel’s wife Sofia (Penélope Cruz) is less than thrilled by the idea of a billionaire having a bunker built to survive in the event of a catastrophe, leaving the rest of humanity to fight for survival. She has long been unhappy with their life together, and the conflict comes to a head during a night-time row. Excellently portrayed by the two actors.
While the audience reacted enthusiastically, the critics’ response was mixed.
Florian Zeller, the French writer and director with German roots, won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay straight away six years ago with his debut film *Father*, an adaptation of one of his plays, and presented *Son* in Venice three years ago. He wrote *Bunker* specifically for lead actors Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
A gripping dynamic develops between the two as the cracks in their relationship grow ever deeper. Both in the film and at the press conference, Penélope Cruz came across as the stronger of the two, cornering Javier Bardem with her sharp tongue and eloquence. The fact that the two speak Spanish to one another is a further positive aspect of the film.
The Danish film “Kvinde Ukendt” (Woman Unknown) also benefits from its excellent cast, above all the lead actress, Mathilde Arcel. She plays Marie, a woman who works as a nanny for a widowed factory owner. She is allowed to share his bed, and there is the prospect of a future marriage. But Marie harbours a dark secret that could ruin all their plans. During a visit to a gynaecologist, we learn that a son died following a complicated birth and that she has suffered from a chronic inflammation ever since. When a former schoolmate turns up and blackmails her, we suspect that the child’s father was probably a German soldier.
Denmark in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War – people are celebrating their liberation from German occupation and taking revenge on women who had relationships with German soldiers and are now being shorn of their hair and publicly humiliated as ‘Nazi whores’. To this day, the myth of heroic resistance is celebrated in Denmark. The Danish-Egyptian director May el-Toukhy reveals the dark side of this national myth, telling a story of collaboration and the victors’ revenge. A sense of moral ambivalence pervades the film, embodied in the character of Marie, about whom we are unsure whether she deserves our sympathy.
The subtle way in which this is achieved is largely thanks to Mathilde Arcel, who carries the entire film with impressive restraint. For me, she is a clear favourite for the Best Actress award, which would not only fulfil the purpose of such an award but also bring a little-known actress into the international spotlight. Both films, ‘Bunker’ and ‘Woman Unknown’, are set primarily in enclosed spaces, which conveys a sense of confinement and emphasises the characters’ sense of being trapped.