Bunker : Austin Film Festival Review

There are a lot of words that get thrown around these days. I mean, this review alone is full of them. But one word I seem to hear everywhere is legacy. Whether you’re watching a sporting event or listening to someone talk politics, there’s always a conversation about what someone’s legacy will be. But here’s the crazy thing: does it really matter? Very few of us, if any, will even be remembered 50 years from now, and stretch that to 100 years, and the number gets even smaller. It’s something that crossed my mind while watching Florian Zeller’s latest film, Bunker, which got me thinking that maybe we should spend a little less time worrying about a future we won’t be around for and a little more time appreciating the present.

Miguel (Javier Bardem) is a successful architect living in London with his wife, Sofia (Penélope Cruz), and their two young daughters. From the outside, they seem to have built a pretty happy life together, but a new neighbor is about to put a crack in that foundation. His name is Toby (Stephen Graham), and all he wants is a little sunlight in his garage. The problem is that his solution involves punching a hole through Miguel’s backyard fence, which, as you might imagine, doesn’t go over particularly well.

But Miguel has more on his plate than a troublesome neighbor. A billionaire has approached him about designing a bunker, one that would be as much a work of art as a place to survive the end of the world. The idea doesn’t sit well with Sofia, and the tension surrounding the project only adds to the growing strain on their marriage. Between the neighbor, the bunker, and the cracks beginning to show in their relationship, Miguel and Sofia find themselves questioning just how solid the life they’ve built together really is. And suddenly, that hole in the fence starts to feel like something much bigger.

Written by Florian Zeller and inspired by El Hombre de al lado from Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, Bunker explores some genuinely intriguing ideas, although at times it becomes a little too preachy for its own good. The film offers plenty of food for thought, much of it unsettling, particularly for anyone who might recognize a bit of their own privilege in what unfolds. But those ideas aren’t necessarily what drives the movie. What really keeps things moving is the slow-burning conflict between Miguel and Sofia, as their seemingly stable marriage begins to unravel.

Bunker is at its best when it lets the architecture do the talking, because the visuals often communicate more than the dialogue ever manages to. There’s something fascinating about the way Zeller uses physical spaces to reflect the emotional distance between his characters. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t always trust those images to speak for themselves. Its exploration of class, privilege, and social divisions can feel a little too neat, with some of its bigger ideas delivered rather clumsily. At times, the foreshadowing is so obvious that you can practically see a major dramatic turn coming long before it arrives.

Even with those shortcomings, Bunker has enough going for it to keep you invested, and much of that comes down to Bardem and Cruz. Their relationship brings some much-needed fire to what can otherwise feel like a rather cold movie. Bardem is very good, but for me, the standout is Cruz, who gives a performance filled with emotional depth and substance, even when the film doesn’t put her front and center. Graham is also terrific in his limited screen time, managing to do an awful lot with very little.

The performances aren’t the only reason to appreciate Bunker, either. Zeller once again proves he has a discerning eye, creating a visually striking film that often says more through its images than its words. It’s just a shame that the storytelling doesn’t always rise to the same level.

Ultimately, Bunker is another reminder that great actors can elevate a movie simply through the strength of their performances. There are some genuinely good ideas here, but they never quite reach the heights they’re aiming for. Still, if I’m going to spend two hours trapped in a bunker, I can think of far worse company than Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.

Brian Taylor

Member of the North Texas Film Critics Association, and lover of all things Cinema