Compétition officielle

A very original film with subtle humour. The film makers are clearly afficionados of classic art films and their work is positively influenced by masters like Luis Bunuel and Jacques Tati.

All three main actors (Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez) are at the top of their game. The script is brilliant and, without being didactic, is conducive to further meditation on what is acting, what is fiction and what is real. Although many films tackle the subject of "film within a film" showing the process behind the camera and the long preparations before actually shooting, "Official Competition" shows what actors' egos is really like (even the character played by Oscar Ramirez who pretends not to be interested by awards, secretly rehearses a speech in case he wins an Oscar...), and we get a glimpse into the director' s mind and vision and insistence on perfection, with doubt never too far away (brilliantly conveyed by Penelope Cruz).

A treat ! Not to be missed !

Good Almodovar Film.

Oh hang on its not one of his.

Could have fooled me.

I liked it. Pedro would be proud of his acolytes.

Good cinematography. The full face close ups are exactly like an Almodovar film

The mise en scene exactly like an Almodovar film.

The colour palette, the set design, the location choices, the humour, all exactly like an Almodovar film.

The casting...you know what.

All that being said, it's nice to watch an almost Almodovar film. Beats most other films made at the moment.

Come on, maybe the final joke of this film is the two directors are actually fictional characters, and really the director is Pedro Almodovar?

A wealthy businessman (José Luis Gómez) in search for fame and social prestige decides a new aim , to hire a famous filmmaker to help make a smash hit picture. To achieve this goal, to make a unique, groundbreaking film he hires the best of the best : A stellar team consisting of famous filmmaker , the bittered , weird Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz) and two well-known actors who boast not only an enormous talent , but also an even bigger ego: Hollywood star Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and aging theater thespian Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez) . They're both legends, but not exactly the best of friends . Through a series of increasingly hilarious tests set by Lola, Félix and Iván find themselves entangled into discorcenting and usettling experiences .

A charming and sympathetic Dramedy about a troubled shooting that goes wrong . Argentines Cohn and Duprat direct this satire on the world of art and cinema starring three of the most recognized Spanish-speaking actors worldwide : Antonio Banderas , Penelope Cruz , Oscar Martínez . As in their previous films , the pair of directors addresses in this film issues such as limits in the world of art , hypocrisy , ego , and the prejudices that some artists have against others , issues that on this occasion revolve around the film process. A nice and interesting drama/black-comedy , in which two actors , directed by an extremely rare filmmaker , must confront not only each other, but also their own legacies and resulting in fateful , unpredictable consequences . This is a nice movie containing drama , humorous elements , irony and satirical events. Here stands out the terrific acting by this great trio starring : Penelope Cruz , Antonio Banderas and a great Argentinean actor , Oscar Martinez , playing perfectly a proud and really serious actor . Oscar Martinez is considered to be the most famous Argentine actor with Ricardo Darin, Rodolfo Ranni and Dario Grandinetti. Being well accompanied an attractive support cast , such as : José Luis Gómez as a billionaire businessman , Irene Escolar as his daughter and brief appearances from Manolo Solo , Pilar Castro , Koldo Olabarri , Juan Grandinetti , Melina Matthews , among others.

The motion picture was competently directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn , they formerly made some decent films . As they have directed a dozen movies , with which they obtained more than thirty international awards, among which stand out The Artist (2008) , The Man Next Door (2009), The Distinguished Citizen (2016), My Masterpiece (2018) and Official Competition (2020). Their big hit was ¨El ciudadano ilustre¨ (2016) , it was No. 1 at the box office Argentine comedy of the year , getting submission of Argentina for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 89th Academy Awards in 2017 and won several prizes and nominations , such as : Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina 2016 Winner Award of the Argentinean Academy Best Actor Oscar Martínez , Best Supporting Actor Dady Brieva , Best Screenplay - Original Andrés Duprat . While this Official Competitio (2021) getting a number of prizes and nominations , such as : Chicago Indie Critics Awards (CIC) 2023 Nominee Windie Best Foreign Language Film Jaume Roures ; Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards 2022 Nominee DFCC Best Screenplay Mariano Cohn ,Andrés Duprat ; Feroz Awards, ES 2023 Winner Feroz Award Best Film: Comedy ; Film Club's The Lost Weekend 2022 Winner Lost Weekend Award Best Supporting Actress Penélope Cruz ; Goya Awards 2023 Nominee Goya Best Cinematography Arnau Valls Colomer ; San Sebastián International Film Festival 2021 Nominee Sebastiane Award Best Film Mariano Cohn , Gastón Duprat; Spanish Actors Union 2022 Nominee Award of the Spanish Actors Union Best Actress in an International Production Penélope Cruz , among others.

The three stars of this movie are Penélope Cruz as famous director Lola Cuevas, Antonio Banderas as famous actor Félix Rivero, and Oscar Martínez as another famous actor Iván Torres. In a stroke of good planning the three actors also are the producers.

A wealthy businessman turning 80 wants to be remembered for something. Maybe build a bridge and name it for him? No, he finally decides to buy the rights to a novel and have a movie made. Lola will direct, Felix and Ivan will star as the brothers in a broken family relationship.

The two actor characters each have large egos, the title could be a reference to their competition with each other during rehearsals. But also near the end, when a news conference is being held, it is at an "official competition."

I will not say more about the contents of the movie, suffice to say it is brilliantly scripted and executed. Some small, seemingly insignificant, things we see during the middle of the movie return to be very important as the final scenes roll. A really entertaining and thinking person's movie.

It is in Spanish with English subtitles, which isn't my favorite way to watch a movie, but it was not difficult to both read and watch.

Greetings again from the darkness. Satire is one of the most challenging cinematic genres to get right. The script and performances are crucial, and the director must walk a fine line between too subtle and over-the-top. The long-time collaborative filmmaking team of co-writers and co-directors Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, along with co-writer Andres Duprat, strike just the right chord and deliver a gem that is funny, insightful, and quite entertaining. The film was well received at last year's Venice Film Festival, but is only now getting distribution.

We open on Don Umberto Suarez (Jose Luis Gomez), a wealthy pharmaceutical businessman, as he peruses the many gifts that have arrived for his 80th birthday. He's in a reflective mood and wonders what he can do to secure his legacy so as not to be forgotten. Suarez debates between building a bridge or financing a "great" movie, one that will stand the test of time. He knows nothing of the film industry, and doesn't bother to read the best-seller book he secures the rights to. He then meets with eccentric film director Lola Cuevas (Oscar winner Penelope Cruz, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, 2008), yet seems oblivious to what we see - her vision runs contrary to his, as evidenced by her production notebook that looks like a teenager's scrapbook from summer camp. She buys in to his "best cast" demands and leaves him believing "his" film is in good hands.

Ms. Cruz is so perfect in this role that even her giant frizzy flame-red wig is simpatico with director Lola's intense personality as an auteur. Things really take off when rehearsal begins and her two lead actors arrive. Antonio Banderas plays Felix Rivero, a global movie star who lives the rock star life with women and sports cars. He's the personality antithesis of his co-star Ivan Torres, played by Oscar Martinez, a self-absorbed stage actor who views his world as prestigious, while mocking the glitz, glamor, and money that rules Felix's world. An architecturally stunning art institute funded by Suarez serves as the rehearsal site, since it sits empty and unused.

Felix and Ivan are to play rival brothers, and the tension that develops between the two men is hilarious ... and further spurred by Lola's acting exercises. She prods Ivan on the simple line, "Good evening", forcing him to repeat it multiple times, just as she toys with Felix on his level of intoxication (a range of 1 to 10). To increase the tension, Lola has the men rehearse underneath a giant boulder dangling overhead by crane. As the two actors battle it out for respect from the other and favoritism from Lola, the humor escalates at the same pace as egos are wounded. After scoffing at the mention of Felix's awards, Ivan secretly practices his Oscar-acceptance speech in his dressing room. It becomes clear that each of the men want what the other has: Felix wants prestige, while Ivan wants recognition.

There are so many terrific scenes and moments here, including a foreshadowed twist and a sequence that combines industry awards, an industrial shredder, and the strength of Saran Wrap. All three lead actors are having a blast, and the supporting cast lends authenticity to this skewering of wealth, ego, art, and the film industry. Especially effective in support are Irene Escolar as Suarez's daughter who has been cast in the film, and Pilar Castro as Violetta, Ivan's equally pretentious wife. This is satire at it's finest, and the filmmakers (and Ms. Cruz) even nail the ending. Kudos to one of my favorite movies of the year.