Everybody Knows
Laura, a Spanish woman living in Buenos Aires, returns to her hometown outside Madrid with her Argentinian husband and children. However, the trip is upset by unexpected events that bring secrets into the open.
Working with a tight budget of $11.3M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $18.0M in global revenue (+59% profit margin).
5 wins & 33 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Everybody Knows (2018) reveals deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Asghar Farhadi's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 12 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Laura
Paco
Alejandro
Irene
Ana
Mariana
Antonio
Felipe
Main Cast & Characters
Laura
Played by Penélope Cruz
A woman who returns to her Spanish hometown for her daughter's wedding, only to face a family crisis when her daughter is kidnapped.
Paco
Played by Javier Bardem
Laura's former lover who now runs the family vineyard and becomes central to resolving the kidnapping crisis.
Alejandro
Played by Ricardo Darín
Laura's husband, a successful businessman in Argentina who struggles with the family's secrets during the crisis.
Irene
Played by Carla Campra
Laura's teenage daughter whose kidnapping sets the central conflict in motion.
Ana
Played by Bárbara Lennie
Paco's wife who must confront her husband's past relationship with Laura during the family crisis.
Mariana
Played by Inma Cuesta
Laura's sister who lives in the family home and harbors deep-seated resentments about past decisions.
Antonio
Played by Ramón Barea
Paco's father, the aging patriarch who holds family secrets and moral authority.
Felipe
Played by Eduard Fernández
Mariana's troubled husband who becomes a suspect in the kidnapping investigation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Laura arrives from Argentina with her two children to her Spanish hometown for her sister's wedding. Joyful reunion showing her established life abroad and warm connection to her roots.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when During the wedding reception, Laura's teenage daughter Irene disappears from her locked bedroom. A ransom note is discovered demanding money for her return.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 33 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Laura decides not to involve police and commits to gathering the ransom money herself, relying on Paco and family despite warnings. She enters a dangerous negotiation with unknown kidnappers., moving from reaction to action.
At 66 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Alejandro finally arrives from Argentina and reveals he has no money - their wealth was a facade. The marriage is built on lies. False victory of his arrival becomes false defeat as Laura realizes she's truly alone., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 98 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, A devastating revelation: Irene is actually Paco's biological daughter, not Alejandro's. The deepest secret is exposed. Laura's carefully constructed life dies completely. Trust is shattered across all relationships., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 106 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. New evidence points to the actual kidnapper. Laura synthesizes that the crime was motivated by both money and revenge for past wrongs. She understands that truth, however painful, is the only path forward., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Everybody Knows's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Everybody Knows against these established plot points, we can identify how Asghar Farhadi utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Everybody Knows within the crime genre.
Asghar Farhadi's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Asghar Farhadi films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.3, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Everybody Knows represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Asghar Farhadi filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Rustom and The Whole Ten Yards. For more Asghar Farhadi analyses, see A Separation, The Salesman and The Past.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Laura arrives from Argentina with her two children to her Spanish hometown for her sister's wedding. Joyful reunion showing her established life abroad and warm connection to her roots.
Theme
During wedding preparations, characters discuss how "everybody knows" everyone's secrets in small towns, but some truths remain buried. The past cannot stay hidden forever.
Worldbuilding
Wedding festivities reveal the complex web of relationships: Laura's history with Paco (now married, owns vineyards Laura's family once owned), her husband Alejandro's absence, family tensions, and the close-knit community dynamics.
Disruption
During the wedding reception, Laura's teenage daughter Irene disappears from her locked bedroom. A ransom note is discovered demanding money for her return.
Resistance
Family debates involving police versus paying ransom. Alejandro cannot be reached in Argentina. Paco offers help. Laura resists accepting that someone close might be involved. Tensions rise about who could have taken Irene and why.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Laura decides not to involve police and commits to gathering the ransom money herself, relying on Paco and family despite warnings. She enters a dangerous negotiation with unknown kidnappers.
Mirror World
Laura and Paco's past relationship becomes central - their shared history, the land that was sold, and unresolved feelings surface. Paco represents the life Laura didn't choose and the secrets that bind them.
Premise
The investigation unfolds through family interrogations. Suspicions turn inward - Paco's troubled nephew Felipe becomes a suspect, old resentments about the vineyard sale emerge, and everyone's financial desperation is exposed. Laura scrambles to raise ransom money.
Midpoint
Alejandro finally arrives from Argentina and reveals he has no money - their wealth was a facade. The marriage is built on lies. False victory of his arrival becomes false defeat as Laura realizes she's truly alone.
Opposition
Alejandro's jealousy and accusations toward Paco intensify the crisis. Felipe is interrogated violently. The community fractures under suspicion. Ransom demands continue but every lead fails. Laura's desperation grows as time runs out.
Collapse
A devastating revelation: Irene is actually Paco's biological daughter, not Alejandro's. The deepest secret is exposed. Laura's carefully constructed life dies completely. Trust is shattered across all relationships.
Crisis
Laura confronts the darkness of her choices and deceptions. The weight of "everybody knows" becomes unbearable. She processes that her lies may have motivated the kidnapping. Relationships crumble around her.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
New evidence points to the actual kidnapper. Laura synthesizes that the crime was motivated by both money and revenge for past wrongs. She understands that truth, however painful, is the only path forward.
Synthesis
The kidnapper is revealed and confronted. Irene is recovered. Laura faces the consequences of her secrets with both Alejandro and Paco. The community grapples with how their silence enabled tragedy. Truths are finally spoken.
Transformation
Laura prepares to return to Argentina with her children and Alejandro, but the transformation is somber. The family is reunited but irreparably changed. The facade of her perfect life is gone, replaced by painful honesty and uncertain future.