In mid-October, the shoot began for The Good Boss [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], a scathing satire on the labour market that once again brings together two huge names in Spanish cinema: Javier Bardem, the winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2008 for his turn as a serial killer in No Country for Old Men by Joel and Ethan Coen; and Fernando León de Aranoa, a filmmaker who has so far scooped six Goya Awards (as both director and screenwriter). As a matter of fact, they are teaming up again after having done so – alongside Penélope Cruz – three years ago in Loving Pablo [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], a movie that garnered all kinds of reviews after it screened at the Venice Film Festival. But years before that, back in 2002, Mondays in the Sun [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], a drama revolving around a group of unemployed men (also featuring a fantastic character played by Luis Tosar) definitely earned acclaim from critics and audiences alike (it grossed almost €10 million in national cinemas, according to the ICAA’s figures) when it combined the talents of Bardem as lead actor and those of León de Aranoa in the roles of both director and screenwriter.

Shot in different locations in and around the Community of Madrid, The Good Boss – principal photography for which will continue until December – boasts a cast that is rounded off by Manolo Solo (winner of the Goya Award for his work in The Fury of a Patient Man [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] and appearing in Álex de la Iglesia’s HBO series 30 Coins [+lire aussi :
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fiche série] from next Sunday onwards: see the news), Almudena Amor, Óscar de la Fuente, Sonia Almarcha, Fernando Albizu, Tarik Rmili, Rafa Castejón, Celso Bugallo (a Galician actor who also appeared in Mondays in the Sun), Martín Páez and Yael Belicha.

According to the synopsis provided by the producers, the feature – with a storyline penned by its director – tells of how a company that manufactures industrial scales in a provincial town is awaiting an imminent visit by a committee that will decide whether the firm gets a local Award for Business Excellence, and so things have to be absolutely perfect for that crucial moment. However, everything seems to be conspiring against it. In the short time he has available, Blanco, the owner of the company (played by Bardem), attempts to solve his employees’ problems, crossing every single line imaginable, which gives rise to an unexpected and explosive string of events, with unforeseen consequences…

This, the tenth film by León de Aranoa, marks the fifth partnership between his own production outfit (Reposado Producciones) and Jaume Roures, president of The Mediapro Studio, which was previously behind the dramas Princesas [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] (2016) and A Perfect Day [+lire aussi :
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interview : Fernando León de Aranoa
fiche film] (2015), a thriller shot in the English language, which brought together an international cast toplined by Californian actor Tim Robbins and Puerto Rican thesp Benicio del Toro. Its international sales have been entrusted to French sales agent mk2 films, and its theatrical release is slated to take place within a year: in autumn 2021.