Bunker is a film with a stellar cast but which fails to portray a clear message, often coming across as more preachy than thought-provoking.
Directed by Florian Zeller, the film follows Miguel (Javier Bardem), a world-famous architect, and his wife Sofia (Penélope Cruz), a book editor. Originally from Spain, the couple now resides in their gorgeous house in London. Miguel is faced with a dilemma when he is offered the opportunity to design a bunker for an exceptionally wealthy client. His decision to potentially take on the project puts a strain on his relationship with Sofia, setting the stage for a debate about money, morality and what people are willing to do to protect themselves.
The film attempts to make several points at once but ultimately struggles to convey a single one. While the idea of a world-famous architect designing a bunker might sound a little silly, the film acknowledges this and frames the project as an intriguing professional challenge. However, the main question here is – what are people willing to do for money. The whole idea of the rich building bunkers seems all a little outdated, considering it has probably already happened, but we are willing to see the story through.
We are also introduced to a rather unsettling character: the couple’s neighbour, played by Stephen Graham. At the beginning of the film, he decides to install a window that looks directly into their home, justifying his actions on the grounds that access to sunlight is a basic human need. The neighbour is positioned as a representation of the less privileged, while Miguel and Sofia occupy a more comfortable position in society. Beyond them lies the ultra-rich bunker client, whose wealth allows him to buy a degree of safety that most people could never afford. In theory, this creates an interesting social hierarchy, raising questions about who gets to enjoy basic comforts, who gets to feel safe and whether wealth ultimately determines whose needs matter. We also get an interesting Paul Dano cameo that enriches the story with a bit of food for thought.
There is a genuinely compelling film somewhere in this idea. After all, what does it say about society when even sunlight, privacy and safety become privileges that can be bought, rather than rights that should be accessible to everyone? The problem is that Bunker seems so determined to make us engage with this debate that it struggles to let the story speak for itself.
Sofia, in particular, becomes difficult to understand. Her resentment towards Miguel, especially when he tries to challenge their neighbour’s creepy behaviour, feels strangely misplaced. Rather than allowing the audience to arrive at its own conclusions, the film seems to use Sofia as a vehicle for its social commentary. The film gets particularly bizarre when I start to find myself sympathising more with the characters who seemed to be positioned on the wrong side of the argument than with those who were supposedly meant to represent the more sympathetic perspective. When a film’s own characterisation ends up undermining the point it is trying to make, it becomes difficult to take its message seriously.
This film doesn’t give us a clear message as it also wants to be a marital drama, a thriller and a meditation on what might happen if the world is headed to, simply put, the end of the world. There is a potential for a compelling idea for a movie and discourse but unfortunately, it doesn’t manage to realise that. It has plenty to say, but very little of it feels fully explored.
Even the cinematic techniques occasionally feel forced. Rather than emerging naturally from the story, some of the visual choices seem designed to make the film look more aesthetically striking, without necessarily adding anything meaningful to the experience.
The casting, at least, gives the film an undeniable appeal. Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz make for an intriguing pairing, and seeing the two together is certainly a draw in itself. Yet even this Hollywood power couple cannot quite rescue the film from its shortcomings. Stephen Graham, Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger all bring their own presence to the ensemble, but none can fully compensate for a script that struggles to give its characters and ideas a convincing direction.
Beneath all its ideas lies the potential for a sharp, uncomfortable exploration of wealth, privilege and the human instinct for survival. However, by the end, Bunker leaves us with a hollow conclusion that feels strangely disconnected from everything that came before it, making us wonder – so what was it all for?
