Official Competition review, Culture Whisper
Watching a film about a film like Official Competition – a new moviemaking satire from Argentine filmmakers Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat – is initially daunting. Surely, it's certain to inspire pomposity, self-aggrandisement, and an annoying severity when speaking about great art. With its slow introduction, this critic feared the worst.
The 80-year-old, Mr Burns-like businessman Humberto (José Luis Gómez), with his own Smithers nearby, discusses what legacy he should leave behind. He settles on producing a movie. But not just any movie: a movie with a good director! And well-known actors! For a satire, Cohn and Duprat’s deliberately gradual style is a worrying sign. Will Official Competition, starring the never-boring likes of Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, grow into a two-hour slog?
But such anxieties are assuaged early on: in a golden moment that clicks the film perfectly into place.
