OFFICIAL COMPETITION: An indiscreet look at movie-making

Movie Review by Sergio Martinez

Directed by: Mario Cohn and Gastón Duprat

With: Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez

A Spain-Argentina co-production

One could say that this is a film about how films are made. Humberto Suarez (Jose Luis Gomez), an eccentric billionaire in Spain at the age of 80, wants to leave some legacy, something to remember him by. He has already financed a bridge, but now he thinks of something different. And there comes the idea of being the financier and producer of a film. More specifically, of the adaptation of a book that he considers very good, although he has not read it thoroughly.

Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz) will direct the best actors:
Ivan Torres (Oscar Martinez) and Felix Rivero (Antonio Banderas)
but also the ones with the biggest egos

To realize his idea, he hires director Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz), who has her own ideas about filmmaking, some of them quite extravagant. But she is certainly talented, which has made her win several awards and is considered one of the best directors of the moment.

"Working under pressure" is one of
the extravagant director's techniques

The billionaire also wants the director to hire the best actors for the film. She does so: Felix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and Ivan Torres (Oscar Martinez) are considered top-quality actors in Spain. But there's a problem, the two don't get along, and their egos will cause them to constantly short-circuit throughout the pre-production process. Until the situation culminates in a crisis that no one could have anticipated.

The film is a very dynamic comedy, critical of the industry's internal environment and filmmaking's creative process. There are elements of humour but also acute tension between the characters.

Official Competition takes a critical
and ironic look at filmmaking

We recommend this film for its entertaining way of highlighting some of the pitfalls of movie stars, sometimes with very inflated egos.

Screened in the original Spanish version with French subtitles and with English subtitles.

Running time: 1 h 55 min.