Concursante

The Contestant is a decent black comedy with a lot of incidents, social critique and awesome interpretations. It deals with a young executive, Leonardo Sbaraglia, an ordinary man who wins a TV contest, being subsequently harassed and deceived by the bank system, as Banks always win. Concerns the fate of the greatest gameshow price in histoy, 6 million euros, and its only winner, who becomes a wealthy man but at the end takes places a strange and surprising deneouement.

A real satire against the modern economy, about the global financial system meltdown with a predating system that devours the people by lying, deceiving, and leading them to despair, ruin and poorness. Adding magnificent interpretations, along with atmospheric and adequate cinematography by David Azcano. As well as a rousing and appropriate musical score by Victor Reyes. A strong actual portrayal full of irony, acid criticism to economical system, cynicism, corruption, and fatalism. It displays a deep critical in capitalist economy system, state robbing by huge taxes, abusive mortgages, hedge funds, excessive credits, loans and the predatory banks. A sour story of a man against the banks, daring the dark economic order, being masterfully played by Leonardo Sbaraglia. Argentina actor Leonardo, though a young player , has a long career from the Eighties, playing in both, Argentina and Spain, including films as Plata Quemada, Caballos salvajes, El corredor nocturno, Relatos salvajes, Carmen, Utopia, Vaquero, Sangre en la boca, , El rey de la montaña, En la ciudad sin limites, Dolor y gloria, Intacto, Nieve negra, Al final del tunel, among others .Leonardo is well accompanied by a good support cast as Myrian Gallegos as his girlfriend, Chete Lera as his advisor, Luis Zahera as a mean, corrupt banker , Myriam Maeztu, Susana Mayo and Fernando Cayo as his colleague .

The motion picture was well directed by Rodrigo Cortés. This Spanish filmmaker has directed notorious international successes as Red Lights, Dawn in dark hill and his biggest hit : Buried. The Contestant or El Concursante won Maestre Mateo Award to support cast : Luis Zahera, best director and editing. And Malaga Film Festival, best director and best cinematography : Daviz Azcano, and it had several Goya nominations.

I've seen this film in the Spanish Cinema Malaga Festival, and I consider it excellent. The audience also finded it moving and different, and all of us clapped spontaneously at the end of it, the whole theater decided to stand up as if we were one only person. "Concursante" also has a great performance by Leonardo Sbaraglia, an excellent actor from Argentina, his acting is spectacular, brilliant, and the same for the rest of the cast, very inspired and very well directed. It won the Critics Award (and Best Cinematography), but it deserved many more, that was the general feeling in Málaga. Excellent movie that may also work abroad, because of its international look and interesting theme (the truth of the Financial System). Ten points for "Concursante", Leonardo Sbaraglia and its young and promising director, Rodrigo Cortés.

And that's because it subtly educates the viewer on the abject fraud of the Ponzi financial and monetary system, which many imo still do not understand. _Money as Debt_ and _The Moneymasters_ are two other (non-fiction) titles worth viewing for further background.

This movie's timing could not have been better, given the global financial system meltdown currently underway, as a result of yet another Ponzi scam, to wit, the astronomical heap of worthless over-the-counter derivatives piled on top of garbage debt-backed paper of all sorts (securitized mortgage loans, auto loans, credit card debt, etc.).

I think the script wastes a bit of time at the beginning with details about the main character that aren't really relevant to the story, and over the course of the last 10-15 minutes when building up toward a denouement which I would've preferred had been different. Nevertheless, I'd give it a 100 points if I could, for the way it masterfully weaves a subject that most people don't want hear about because it bores them, into an extremely entertaining fictional story brimming with a plethora of unique, charismatic and hilarious characters. Even the most despicable character radiates uproarious charm.

One of the most incredible movies of this year!! Superb!! A half way between a Scorsese made in Spain and Paul Thomas Anderson with a little taste of Billy Wilder and even Tony Scott. You can rarely see a so talented young director. It has a great script, which explains the lies of the banks and the financial system. But it's not boring at all, as if a young Orson Welles decided to guide the daring formal structure. The best editing I've ever seen in Spain, I can tell you, magic, genius. And Leonardo Sbaraglia does his best performance until now, two thumbs up for him. Difficult to believe you're seeing this in Spain. It's an spectacle!! Intelligent, funny, terrible, fast, crazy, intelligent again... Much more than a movie!! It may not be perfect, but it certainly is a great great film!!

A normal guy ruins his life because a stroke of good luck. Will the director die for the same reason? I don't think so, for he shows much more than simple luck on the guiding of this extraordinary film about the truth and the appearance of truth, abut the luck and the evil of the banks, about the fast and the cinema itself. Rodrigo Cortes directs his first film with master hand, it's difficult to believe this is his first feature. I haven't seen his short films, but I'll try to, since the joy and good time this movie has given to me. Impactant editing, masterful script, extraordinary music, amazing directing, unbelievable acting (and can an actor be more handsome??)... At first I thought this film was going to be a pedant bluff, but at the minute 20 I couldn't stop watching at the screen, almost hypnotized. I'll never trust a bank again!!