Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat co-direct their script written with Andrés Duprat about the development of a film funded by wealthy businessman Humberto Suarez (José Luis Gómez) and directed by eccentric auteur Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz), who hires classically trained actor Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez) to star opposite brash, irreverent international film star Félix Rivero (Antonio Bandaras) in a story of two brothers competing for their parents’ affection. As they begin preparing for their roles, rehearsing, and developing their characters via Lola’s unconventional acting exercises, it quickly becomes clear Iván and Félix’s divergent approaches to the acting craft will result in a caustic artistic environment. (In Spanish; 115 min.)
Glen Filmmakers love to make films about filmmaking. Whether it’s Hellzapoppin’ (1941) about the travails of adapting a Broadway skit comedy into a dramatic big screen hit or Fellini’s dreamy avant-garde masterpiece 8 1/2 (1963), or even Charlie Kaufman’s writer’s block nightmare Adaptation (2002) or the scorching satire of Tropic Thunder (2008), it’s a topic filmmakers live themselves. Official Competition examines the egos of three highly artistic individuals with very different ways of expressing their artistry. As an entertaining examination of narcissism, it’s both amusing and tragic, and the actors are clearly relishing their roles. Cruz’s Lola is a destroyer because she wants to re-create from the ground up. This metaphor becomes literal during the story. Martinez’s Iván is a pretentious snot with barely concealed disdain for both Lola’s eccentricities as a director and Félix’s unstudied approach to acting. Félix is brash and dismissive and riddled with hubris. Tragically flawed, one and all. What we’re witnessing is three amazing actors turning in amazing performances in service to a dissection of the oftentimes absurd cinematic arts.
Anna Anyone who has gone through a series of theater classes knows these people. Heck—some of us have even been these people. Ivan is a theater teacher, and in one session he tells a group of youthful hopefuls that only one of the group, if they are incredibly lucky, will become a great actor. He then invites them to leave if they have even a small inkling of an idea that they aren’t that one person. No one leaves. Ah, the egos of performers, right? You can’t blame the rich man who placates the audience for doing what he does well, and you can’t blame the seasoned shrew who thinks himself too good for it all—the fact of the matter is that he is, actually, really good. Throw in one of those directors who asks too much, too often, and never finds satisfaction, and you have a recipe for something great. These people push each other. They don’t love each other or like each other much. Yet they do all share the innate need to create, to give these characters life, to create a brotherhood where one does not actually exist. They like to mess with each other, to bend what is acceptable to meet their needs.
Glen It’s an interesting examination of process. There are directors who are well known for unorthodox measures to push their actors into a spellbinding performance. Stanley Kubrick, Darren Aronofsky, Alfred Hitchcock, Lars Von Trier—all known to go to outrageous lengths to elicit something great. I’m not sure Lola’s techniques are as abusive as some of the famed, aforementioned directors, but there is a third act twist in Official Competition that might suggest she went too far in pitting Ivan and Félix against one another. This film might appeal most to cinephiles, but if an outlandish satire of the film world—expertly acted and directed—sounds like your bag, jump on in. The water’s scalding!
Anna Lola prizes her art above all else, and there’s no doubt she pushes both of these actors past their comfort zone and also turns them into rivals instead of acting partners. Real life becomes far too close to what’s on the page, but it’s all worth it to Lola to produce something amazing. There’s no question the three main actors in the film are immensely talented. It’s certainly an engaging and engrossing watch. Watching Félix and Iván nip at each other’s heels while Lola chips away at them bit by bit is both delightful and painful. Movie making is messy sometimes, and this story is certainly an example of that. Δ
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 7-17, 2022.