OFFICIAL COMPETITION

Spain, 2021, 114 minutes, Colour.

Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar Martinez.

Directed by Gaston Duprat, Mariano Cohn.

‘Cynical ’is the word that keeps coming to mind while watching Official Competition. In fact, in retrospect, it is very cynical. But, of course, with satire, cynical can be entertaining.

The film opens interestingly with an entrepreneur turning 80, wondering whether he should invest his money in some kind of legacy in his own honour, for instance, the building of a bridge in his name and his dedicating it. But, he also has the idea of investing in a prestige film.

This is very much an interior piece, mainly three characters, at meetings with readings of the screenplay, rehearsals, performance.

And, what sustains it is the presence and performance of three top Spanish stars. And the big surprise is not that Penelope Cruz is in the film. Of course she would be, but in the role that she plays. She is a prestigious film director, Lola, winner of awards. And she is invited to be the director of the hoped for successful film, the entrepreneur having paid a small fortune to negotiate the rights for a novel, Rivalries, to be produced.

The director has the inspired idea to cast a very popular International Spanish star, Felix, as one of two brothers. And, of course, Antonio Banderas exemplifies that in his own life. His character in the film is something of a parody of his own career. The other actor to be cast comes from the stage, highbrow, prestigious, Ivan (played by Oscar Martinez).

Back to the cynicism! The screenplay presents us with three quite obnoxious characters, not at all likeable and, when the screenplay tends to think favourably of each of them, we realise that we have been tricked and are disillusioned.

Already at the first reading, Lola is finicky, making demands of each of the actors to repeat even the most basic lines until she is satisfied – already a challenge to their egos and pride. She is really a character you would not want to meet in real life. And things can get worse at times of rehearsal, her criticisms, testing them. The big ordeal for them, and for audiences who might imagine themselves in a similar situation and how they would react, Kerns when she binds them together in plastic, so that they become one character, and, with the range of awards and statuettes they have brought in, she puts them into a grinder. Frustration – and more.

Which leads them to quite some mean-mindedness on the part of each of the actors, performance (which, at least, this reviewer saw as performance rather than a genuine story) which is meant to touch the others’ emotions. Then a different kind of performance to touch emotions. Each a hoax, of course, and the repercussions on each of the three.

There is a final rehearsal performance of the climax of the film, a reminder of the title, Rivalries, the story of two very different brothers, and the relishing of a shock ending.

And the title of this film – the finished work is accepted for a film festival, but there has been quite a sinister interlude, among the glitterati, which means that the film, as finally made, is not what anybody actually expected.

And just while Lola makes a speech, while the entrepreneur is very happy, there is a plot development as the film ends – which makes us very curious as to what might actually have happened if the film had gone on…

1. The title? Filmmaking? Processes, performance, filming, release, competitions?
2. The Spanish setting, the pharmaceutical company and the Boss, to build a bridge in his honour, financing the film? Press conferences? The media? The filmmaking, the locations, studios, theatres in stages, rehearsals? Homes sequences? The finale and the film festival?
3. The cynical tone of the story, the characters? Cynicism in the professional world, the irony of the film called The Rivalries?
4. The entrepreneur, the opening, his speech, turning 80, his plans, his secretary? The decision about the film? The expense of the rights to the novel? Hiring Lawler, the actors, the adaptation of the novel, discussion about the plot, Lola explaining the details of the plot – except for the ending?
5. Lola, her reputation, Penelope Cruz, her appearance and style, clothes, hair, manner, speaking, her staff at her treatment of them, expectations? Ego? Her plan for the film, calling the actors, meetings, treatment, the readings, her interrupting immediately, her demands, repetitions, satisfaction? Their interpretations of the characters? The testing them, wrapping them together, helpless, their bringing all their awards, her putting them in the grinder, the reactions? Her continued tests? Felix a story about the cancer, her compassion? Her revenge, delays? The discussions with Ivan, his praising of Felix, performance?
6. Felix, Hollywood star, reputation, life, women, awards? In rehearsals, his being corrected, Lola’s demands? The encounter with Ivan, his reaction to him? The readings? Professional jealousies? The episode with the awards and his frustration? His performance about having the cancer? Ivan and his apology and Felix accepting it? The final rehearsal, the scene, the two brothers, interacting, Lucy and the child, the embrace, the stabbing, the disposal of the body, manual transforming to Pedro, clothes, going into the house? The two as one person (Lola’s interpretation), the consequence of the rivalries?
7. Ivan, age, children, marriages, star of theatre, his reputation, self-image? Ego? Agreeing to be in the film? The encounters with Felix, despising him? Lola making demands on him in rehearsals, repetitions of lines? Interacting with Felix? Being bound together, the episode with the awards, the award given to him by the disabled children? His believing Felix about the cancer? Yet his googling about the whitening of teeth? His speech of apology to Felix – a performance?
8. The party, the speech by the entrepreneur, Lola’s speech, enigmatic about films? Ivan, drinking, his denunciation of Felix, Felix and the hearing, going to the roof, the struggle, Yvan falling, Felix pretending to arrive?
9. The consequences, Ivan having suggested he could do both parts, Felix doing both parts, Yvan in coma, the press conference, Lola and her style of answering the questions or not? Felix and his insincere speech about Ivan? Ivan coming to consciousness and saying Felix’s name?
10. The cynical and satirical look at ego, eccentricities, filmmaking, pretentiousness, the response of the public, the critics?