Official Competition

As "Official Competition" (2021 release from Spain; 115 min.) opens, the now 80 yr old ultra-rich CEO of a pharmaceutical decides that he wants to be remembered for something special. Maybe build a bridge? No, he decides to finance a movie with the best director and the best actors. Shortly thereafter he is introduced to Lola Cuevas, and she suggests ti adapt a book called "Rivalry" to the big screen, and cast the 2 best actors in the world, Felix and Ivan, in the roles of the two brothers. At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: I can't say that I was familiar with the co-directors from Argentina, Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn, but all you need to know about this film is that it stars Penelope Cruz (as Lula), Antonio, Antonio Banderas (as Felix), and Oscar Martinez (as Ivan). Much of the movie feels like a theater play, as the movie plays out mostly among the three of them in rehearsals for the upcoming shoot. But then the last half hour comes... Just watch! As I was watching the movie, I was debating with myself who among these three performers was going the "best" job, but in the end that is an impossible task to determine. Instead, sit back, relax and enjoy the film for these outstanding performances, nothing more, nothing less.

"Official Competition" premiered at last yea's Venice Film Festival to immediate acclaim, and it is currently rate 94% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie opened this weekend at my local arthouse theater here in Cincinnati. The July 4 Monday matinee show was not attended well (exactly 8 people including myself). No matter. If you are interested in a foreign movie that featuring 3 performers at the top of their game, I'd readily suggest you check this out and raw your own conclusion.

This movie is marketed as black comedy (it could be blacker for my taste) but it is basically a vehicle for great actors to overact, making fun of their profession but also show facets of their craft (there are many ways to say "Good Day"). On the other hand the movie draws attention to some facets of filmmaking that is usually neglectet, e. G. the importance of how sound is recorded.

We've seen many films about filmmaking and art, and this is definitely not one of the worst of its kind.

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.

It starts with a not so original theme, a movie about making a movie, but with the quality of the participants you expect something well done and this movie is up to par. It has a good pace with lots of jokes and little twists. It makes fun of everything and everyone without taking itself too seriously.