Movie people suck. They’re pretentious and vacuous, unabashed and flighty (kinda like this sentence!).
Well, maybe not all of ‘em, but certainly the ones we see in Official Competition. And that’s why this movie is SO MUCH FUN.
In this one, a rich old man funds the production of an artsy movie. He wants awards guaranteed (LOL), so he engages a decorated and eccentric director to help (further LOL). After a well-paced intro establishes all that, the bulk of what we watch is our director and her two lead actors preparing for their new project.
Lola, the free-spirited, genius director that she is, is overbearing. Repeat-that-word-five-times-in-five-different-ways overbearing. Félix gets paid so much he couldn’t care less. Iván, an actor’s actor who thinks the world of himself, puts up with the both of them for the love of his art. Or maybe for the opportunity to win another award.
Their rehearsals are cringe-worthy; each a crapshoot of who will be the most self-serious and antagonistic this time. Not only are their idiosyncracies somehow both silly and creative, the constant uncertainty of who’ll be normal this time adds to the hilarity (helping us identify with otherwise unsympathetic characters).
Smart story-structuring unveils the climax of our movie and their movie at just the right time. Sincere, subtle, and suspenseful when it needs to be, and observant, charming, and funny as all heck, Official Competition is the work of excellent moviemakers. These people don’t take their job too seriously, but they do seriously appreciate its virtues.
Um . . . let’s take a break?