Official Competition * * * *

Lola and her cast.

This film was screening at the recent Spanish Film Festival, which I missed, so I was glad of the opportunity to catch it today as it probably won't be around much longer.

Official Competition is a film that centers around two male actors and a female director rehearsing for a film. 

It's very funny and insightful. Some of the comments from Penelope Cruz as Lola, the "director", are worth bottling.

A wealthy and ageing industrialist wishes to leave a legacy.  He gets the notion that he would like to be the producer of a great film. So his staff find an award winning novel, which they buy the rights of, and then set about finding an award winning director to turn it into a film. In "Lola" they find an uncompromising art-house director.

The industrialist provides them with a magnificent building for rehearsal.  Here "Lola" and the two main actors can get down to business.  We learn the film is mostly a two hander about two brothers who fall out. A scenario which has been done a million times since God wrote the original script featuring Cain and Abel 

The two actors come from extremely different backgrounds.  One is classical and from the stage, the other has only worked in film and is probably more a "movie star" than a serious actor.  We learn the director, Lola specifically chose them for that very reason. Bonded by profession but contemptuous of each others style. 

Perhaps she chose too well.  After a while, Lola's patience is stretched to breaking point, and they've just about had enough of her  as well as each other.

As the conflict and impatience between the actors grows, so does the humor, but it never turns into slapstick.  All comedy aside, what wins you, and keeps you involved with this film is that everyone has something interesting to say. Sure it's frequently undermined by their selfish actions but that too is part of the fun.