Official Competition

A wealthy businessman, Humberto Suárez, decides to fund a film in the hope of securing a lasting reputation. He brings together an acclaimed director, Lola Cuevas, and casts two celebrated actors in the lead roles: Félix Rivero, a Hollywood star, and Iván Torres, a respected figure from the theatre world. The two men have very different approaches to their craft and little patience for each other. Under Lola's direction, they are put through a series of unusual exercises designed to prepare them for the shoot, which forces each of them to reckon with his own career and public image.

Official Competition is a comedy-drama from Argentina and Spain, released in 2021 and running 114 minutes. It was directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, who wrote the screenplay with Andrés Duprat. For Cohn it followed 4x4, and for both directors it preceded Homo Argentum. Antonio Banderas plays Félix, Penélope Cruz plays Lola, and Oscar Martínez plays Iván, with José Luis Gómez, Manolo Solo and Nagore Aranburu in supporting roles.

The film was made for about 4 million USD and took roughly 5 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from around 18,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.6 out of 10 from 457 votes. A critics' rating of 7.6 out of 10 from 157 reviews places it somewhat higher than the audience scores.