Overview
- Bunker had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday and is one of 21 films competing for the festival’s Golden Lion award.
- Director Florian Zeller wrote the thriller specifically for Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem and filmed the movie in Madrid after reading reports about a tech billionaire building a secret survival shelter.
- At the festival press conference Cruz said it would be "impossible" not to discuss politics for a film about power and isolation, and Bardem said public figures have greater resources and therefore a different responsibility to speak.
- Critics and early reviews praise Cruz and Bardem’s rare on‑screen portrayal of a long‑married couple while questioning whether the film fully delivers on its political and moral themes.
- The film’s Venice launch is likely to shape festival conversations and awards voting by linking high-profile performances to contemporary debates about concentrated wealth and social isolation.