As is often the case with any medium, it was inevitable that cinema would get to the point where it started producing artworks that were self-reflective commentaries on its own existence. This happened almost immediately, with the advent of self-aware cinema occurring from the outset. There are a few subjects that filmmakers seem to adore above all else, one of them being cinema itself, and it is often difficult to disagree with the popularity of these works. Whether hilariously irreverent or deeply melancholy, there is something about being allowed to peek around the edge of that mystical curtain and get a brief glimpse into the process behind filmmaking, especially when a work has been designed to specifically give us such access, even if intentionally constructed. The meandering thought is just a preface to Official Competition (Spanish: Competencia oficial), an irreverent dark comedy written and directed by the filmmaking duo of  Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, who have been working for several years, producing solid works, both in Europe and their native Argentina, proving to be essential voices in contemporary world cinema. This is undeniably their most ambitious film yet – it has some of the most famous actors in modern cinema, and a storyline that practically begs for our attention, while still being humble enough to put in the hard work in terms of peering into the often intimidating world of film production, which has come to be one of the more revealing and complex entries into a genre that was already wildly popular before the directors put in the effort to add new ideas into this peculiar version of the world of cinema.

It is hardly surprising that much of what has been written about Official Competition brings up the fact that it seems to be pitched to those who are either in the industry, or have an active working knowledge of the mechanics of getting a film made. This is not the pedestrian, entry-level Hollywood satire that tries to break down the filmmaking process into digestible segments that are accessible to all. Obviously, it’s still a very entertaining film, and it’s unlikely that anyone will be entirely at a loss because they do not understand the subject matter. Instead, the directors create an environment where they bring up subjects that are slightly more niche – whether it be the process of putting a film together (which is especially interesting here, since the entire film takes place in the early stages of development – by the climax, the cameras haven’t even started rolling yet), or the specifics of elite film festivals, which are shown to be far more than just platforms for a diverse range of films to be showcased, as anyone who follows them is more than likely to know. Duprat and Cohn certainly seem to be speaking from a place of experience, having worked laboriously for years to create a range of solid films, many of which were taken to the very places they are parodying here. You can always tell when a satire is made by someone who has actively been involved in that world, or by simple observers, and Official Competition undeniably belongs squarely under the former category, especially since a lot of what is being discussed here can only come from someone who had seen the carnivalesque madness of the contemporary film industry with their own eyes, which informs so much of this story, making it a far more thoughtful, complex work of unhinged humour than we’d initially have expected.

Without any doubt, the main reason someone would seek out this film (or at least most likely) is the actors who play the major roles. Three of the most important actors in Hispanic cinema – two of them from Spain, the other from Argentina – are at the centre of the film, and offer their talents to the directors, who in turn give them all incredible roles. Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas work with the directors for the first time (and reunite after their very brief cameos in the wonderfully effervescent comedy I’m So Excited, which was directed by their mutual friend and the person responsible for some of their best work, Pedro Almodóvar), while Oscar Martínez reunites the Duprat and Cohn after they gave him one of his biggest international breakthroughs in The Distinguished Citizen a few years prior. Official Competition is an actor-based film, and logically it needed performers who could rise to the occasion by being self-reflective enough on their creative process (Banderas and Martínez in particular, as they were playing actors, and thus had to look inwards and place characters not too far from themselves in terms of style and temperament), while Cruz had to step out of her comfort zone by taking on the role of an over-the-top film director whose arrogance is her biggest impediment, a far cry from her more endearing characters she normally plays, where most of her work involves developing them beyond the congeniality, and infusing them with a lot of depth. The cast of Official Competition is uniformly strong – none of the actors are necessarily trying to steal the spotlight, but they’re also fully aware of the implications of the film as a whole, whereby they need to play characters that are standing in firm opposition of one another – and in both the comedic and dramatic moments, the trio deliver exceptional and outstanding work.

At the heart of Official Competition is a film about the importance of collaboration. On the surface, we find a film that is incredibly funny but seemingly shallow, perhaps just an opportunity for the directors to lampoon the world of film production, which they view as being pretentious and filled with despicable people that don’t understand the concept of humility. Much like the aforementioned The Distinguished Citizen, which looks at the world of prestige literature (being centred around the Nobel Prize for Literature), this film centres itself on a specific concept, and then starts to develop it into something much deeper, exploring the world in which these characters inhabit, and focusing on the specific kinds of people that would find themselves in their orbit. Its a very interesting way of exploring the world, especially in the form of something quite as deeply intricate as the inner workings of a film production – and considering how a lot of the story centres on how this trio of characters interact in the early stages of the process (with most of the film taking place in rehearsals), the directors consistently draw our attention to the smallest details, exploring them thoroughly and using them as the foundation for a very unconventional and deeply funny film about the creative process, and the manner in which we work with other artists to create works that will be passed down to future generations. Obviously, there is so much more to the film than this, with many of its best qualities being difficult to describe, especially since so much of what makes it a success comes from the more unexpected moments.

For some reason, satire has often been conflated with parody in terms of modern perceptions, with the general expectation being that something can only be good satire if it successfully parrots an established genre or style, just with overtures of irreverent humour. Official Competition is much more than this – it is the rare kind of satirical comedy that takes a very precise direction, not necessarily aiming to make a mockery of the film industry in general (although there are points where it does go for the low-hanging fruit – but in terms of the story, this makes perfect sense), but rather offering some new insights to the creative process. It’s certainly a very funny film, but it balances the off-the-wall humour with a sense of principled direction, and a kind of deeply sentimental honesty that feels emotionally prescient but never saccharine. Ultimately, Official Competition is a comedy made by a pair of directors who love the world of filmmaking enough to spend a couple of hours totally eviscerating it, exposing its flaws and looking for deeper meaning in a subject that grows more intimidating the more time we spend with it. Yet, it all feels so endearing in their capable hands, a work of incredible honesty and unrequited charisma. Featuring some exceptionally strong performances by actors who are able to juggle the dense, dialogue-based screenplay with aplomb, and directed with style and elegance, Official Competition is an absolute delight, and a film that will most likely come to be seen as definitive in the coming years, especially as we start to see more of these stories about artistic expression and the creative process being told with this degree of humour and conviction.