Official Competition (Spain) (19/24)

Official Competition spent PLENTY of time on the festival circuit. It originally premiered at the Venice Film Festival of 2021. It then played Toronto, a few dozen other smaller festivals, opened in theaters in Spain back in February, and debuted in several other countries before its eventual arrival at Tribeca (and subsequent US release). That doesn’t make it any less stellar of a film, though, and for a movie about filmmakers attempting to win awards (and then, perhaps shred them in a wood chipper), the team here certainly understands how to roll out a film for maximum exposure. The Spanish film starring Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz, and Oscar Martínez is an actor’s dream, and follows an enigmatic director (Cruz) as she prepares two rival actors (Banderas and Martinez) to star in her upcoming film. The rye comedy is an incredible actor’s showcase and leaves you with a deliciously twisted ending.