La Méthode

On a troubled day in Madrid, with strike and protest against the World Bank and the IMF on the streets, seven candidates are put together in a meeting room in front of notebooks by a secretary as part of a selection process for one important position in a Spanish corporation. They fulfill another application form informing that they would be submitted to the Grönholm Test. While speculating about the possible existence of hidden cameras and microphones, the test begins and they read a message on the screen telling that one of them is not a candidate but an employee from the HR analyzing their attitudes. Along the day, the group is submitted to tests that eliminate each candidate until the final dispute between the two last ones.

"El Método" is a very well acted movie shot basically in one set like in "Twelve Angry Men" with a brief view of the contemporary wild capitalism through the dispute of qualified applicants to a direction position in a corporation. My only remark against the screenplay is relative to the unnecessary and quite stupid sex scene in the restroom. The author could have built the tension between the characters without the need of exposing them to a ridiculous situation that gives no credibility to the plot. The open end with an ambiguous conclusion is a plus in the story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Que Você Faria?" ("What Would You Do?")

The absurdity and grotesque one-upmanship of an executive job interview is sometimes perfectly captured in El Metodo, with an anti-capitalist demonstration used as an invisible backdrop with subtle symbolism. Directing is handled with confidence, and there is some memorable acting, although towards the end the ugly head of melodramatic overacting rears, destroying the atmosphere.

Also demolishing is the flawed characterization. One huge problem of the basic concept is that people interviewing for a high level managerial position have very rarely got anything to lose. Failure only gets the applicants back to other well paid, plush jobs. Such is a case with these people too; apart from their dignity and self-respect, there is nothing much at stake. Bigger problem is that even those they could easily keep were it not for their conveniently convoluted behaviour. From the writer's perspective it's simply a matter of bad characterization choices and some silly plotting. The competing interviewees behave with enormous stupidity sometimes to conveniently fit the dramatic wishes of the storyteller. One of the protagonists, a woman is rendered a victim about halfway through the film, a weak character unable to resist the sexual advances of a fellow male participant. This completely stupid and unrealistic plot development alone almost makes everything that follows implausible and shallow. (I mean, who in the world has sex in his mind during a supposedly important job interview? Come on, even the most macho males can control their animal urges - if they can't, there's no way they get to an executive position.) It's a pity the filmmakers could not muster up more courage to let the situation play itself out without sensationalist, melodramatic actions and resort to such cheap moves. What started out very well and tense, derails because of increasingly melodramatic plot solutions from the midpoint on.

It's a pity also that apart from a nicely symbolic final image and some subtly added subtext the storytellers did not make more of the anti-capitalist protests apparently going on simultaneously. It's a device completely wasted.

All in all, a film worth watching once for some nice psychodrama elements, but ultimately a terribly missed opportunity. For a similar premise, but a much more thrilling story watch "The Killing Room".

A top-notch cast under superb direction by Marcelo Piñeyro makes this movie above average in every aspect . During IMF & World Bank Summit and demonstrations which upset Madrid, like other big cities , seven candidates report for a job interview . Protesters rise up in public protest in the street over the IMF-World Bank Summit attempting globalization of workers unions . As the group interview begins high above in a corporate meeting room where are the applicants for the difficult competition . Major corporation Dekia holds interviews a lot of applicants , these are the followings : Eduardo Noriega as Carlos , Najwa Nimri as Nieves , Eduard Fernández as Fernando , Pablo Echarri as Ricardo , Ernesto Alterio as Enrique , Carmelo Gómez as Julio and Adriana Ozores as Ana . Their doubts begin when they must sign a clause accepting the Grönholm method, which nobody ever heard . Attended by a secretary well played by the beautiful Natalia Verbeke , they become involved into twisted problems , complicated tests , verbal attacks and contra-attacks and many other things . There are some computers which show different messages to each of the roles , and when they are eliminated from the test , the computer gives out a "no signal" . It soon becomes clear the questions are dirty mind games, but never what is true and what the trick . They also have to guess who among them is the enterprise mole and must decide who the traitor is . When HR goes too far the events go awry .

This is a brooding film in which there is a psychologically intense studio to recruit a top executive from seven applicants . There are battles of wits among varied group of applicants as their priorities, ethics and loyalty are put trough stressing tests . It is a deep as well as engaging exam about the job application process . Though the whole movie is set in an office room it never lacks for taut , suspense , intrigue and inspired direction . The struggle behind closed doors , as they repeatedly eliminate one of their number from the procedure ; it results to be tense , charged and riveting . The picture has the best elements of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross , Neil LaBute's In the company of men and Sidney Lumet's 12 angry Men and ¨El Metodo¨ by Marcelo Piñeyro. Jordi Galceran's brilliant play was left virtually intact in its move to feature film . This famous play was splendidly directed by Marcelo Piñeyro with an extraordinary plethora of actors who give awesome performances . Because the painstaking rehearsals for the film lasted some exhausting weeks , filming had to be completed in an unprecedented time and shot in a few separate takes . The acting level of the cast during some of the intense discussions and debates almost bursts in the screen . The movie can be used in business schools and workshops to illustrate team dynamics and conflict resolution techniques . Very good acting by a Spanish all-star cast such as Eduard Fernández , Pablo Echarri , Ernesto Alterio , Carmelo Gómez , Adriana Ozores and Natalia Verbeke ; especial mention to Eduardo Noriega and Najwa Nimri .

Thought-provoking as well as interesting screenplay by Mateo Gil . Mateo is a notorious screenwriter , he wrote various films for Amenabar as ¨Agora¨ , ¨Mar Adentro¨ , ¨Abre Los Ojos¨ and ¨Tesis¨ . He has only directed ¨Nobody knows anybody¨ or ¨Nadie Conoce Nadie¨ and recently a Western titled ¨Blackthorn¨ . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Marcelo Piñeyro . He was born in 1953 in Buenos Aires, Argentina . Marcelo usually works with his fetish actor , Leonardo Sbaraglia . Piñeyro is a director and writer, especially known for Plata Quemada (2000) and Kamchatka (2002) and , of course , El Método or the Method (2005) . Marcelo has directed the following films -being most of them dramas and thrillers- : 2009 La Viudas de Jueves , 2003 Kamchatka , 2000 Plata Quemada or Burst money , 1997 Cenizas del Paraíso , 1995 Caballos Salvajes and 1993 Tango Feroz .

This movie tells us about a group of people that are gathered at the premises of a company in order to take part in a selection process for an executive job. Soon they will realise that they're not attending a conventional group-interview.

One of the assets of this movie is the cast, with a bunch of the best actors and actresses of the moment in Spain and Argentina. They had a good movie to show their talents, and they have done it. Particularly surprising was the acting of Eduard Fernández. Although with a good acting record, he was a complete unknown to me. However, his incarnation of the disgusting 'macho ibérico' was extremely realistic and natural. Ernesto Alterio shows us once more that he's able to convincingly play any role. One just have to compare his Antonio in 'Días de Fútbol' (Football Days) with the nervous Enrique of this movie. Outstanding, I think. On the other hand, I dislike Noriega and Verbeke.

The movie as a whole is developed coherently and in a dynamic line, it will catch your interest from the beginning. Only two negative points, however. Although I'm not a puritan at all, I think that the sex scenes were unnecessary. I also disliked the final sight of the street, I think it was completely exaggerated, but that's just a detail.

This is one of the best films I've seen all year! If you've ever been to a job interview with multiple applicants or even to one of those assessment centres big companies have you will recognize a lot of things in this movie.

"The Method" starts off with an engaging split-screen title sequence reminiscent of the TV series 24 which introduces the characters and the events around them: The story takes place on the day of the annual IMF & World Bank meetings and a huge anti-globalization protest is mounting that is threatening to shut down the city. This however belies what will follow in the next two hours.

Seven applicants for an executive position at a large company are more or less locked up inside a room and put through a novel mysterious selection process called "The Grönholm Method" which is supposed to determine the one applicant who is most fit for the job. The limited setting of the movie works perfectly and allows the audience to concentrate on and engage with the characters and the clever dialogue. Adapted from a theatre play the script takes the characters through little insidious games aimed at eliminating one applicant after the other. The movie quickly gets into a state of heightened reality, amping up the tension as everything gets more and more psychologically violent. Without giving anything away all I can say is that there's no backing down, it gets pretty hardcore and you can expect quite a few twists! After a particularly intense round in The Grönholm Method the audience is suddenly assaulted by the sound of the violent riots going on in the streets below while the camera remains focused on the actors. This moment is pure Haneke and through the contrast of non-diegetic sound perfectly illustrates the violence behind the ruthless shoot-first-or-be-shot modern day job world.

Watching this movie carefully while giving it your full attention pays off since the plot twists are carefully build up and you can have a lot of fun and gratification in correctly predicting them. Also, if you're a cynical bastard like me, you will find a lot of laughs in the dialogue.

Highly recommended!