Posted at 11:00 a.m.
This meeting between Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas is not caused by Pedro Almodóvar, both of whom are favorite actors, but by the prolific tandem formed by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat. These Argentinian filmmakers work in the field of fiction films, but also in documentaries and television series. In 2016, their feature film honorary citizen also earned Oscar Martínez the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival.
The latter is also the co-star of this satirical comedy about the film industry, intentionally well-bred. He embodies Iván, an honest actor, recruited to play in a production financed by a millionaire wishing to buy a prestigious feature film in which the greatest of the profession would participate. The great actor thus finds himself giving the reply to Félix (Antonio Banderas), the most Hollywood of Spanish actors, under the direction of Lola (Penélope Cruz), an eccentric filmmaker who notably counts a Cannes Palme d’Or among her laurels.
As you might expect, everything goes into a spin, especially as the filmmakers install the very grating tone of their story from the start. The set has some strong moments, but we still wonder where the tandem is coming from. It’s a bit like Cohn and Duprat taking a similar approach to Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund for his film The Squaretransposed this time to the world of cinema. Official competition however, suffers from comparison.
That said, the talent of the three actors present, who plunge greedily into this exercise in histrionics, contributes a lot to the pleasure we get from this outrageous comedy, despite everything. Launched last year at the Venice Film Festival, where it was in the running for the Golden Lion (with such a title, it was inevitable!), Official competition (Official Competence) is showing in the original Spanish version with French subtitles.
Comedy
Official competition
Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat
With Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar Martinez
1:54 a.m.
Indoors