Image courtesy of Cohen Media Group.
If you are curious about watching a film that personifies selfish nature, you might want to put “The Good Boss” on your list.
Director Fernando León de Aranoa has handed over a subtly crafted nightmare that leaves you unsure which characters to root for in the end. It is a film that perfects the concept of cringe humor, though Aranoa’s take on the genre made at least this reviewer cringe more than laugh—which might just mean the film has hit its target.
As can be imagined by the title, our protagonist, played by Javier Bardem, is a boss. The “good” part is still very much up for debate. Blanco Scales is about to win an award for excellence in business. It’s not the first award the company has won, but the power of its potential still grips Blanco, who meddles with his employees’ lives to ensure the company is in tip-top shape on the day of assessment.
It starts with an underperforming employee. Miralles (Manolo Solo) has been with the company for years—and has known Blanco since he was young—and has started making mistakes, ordering the wrong shipments, and getting distracted during important business decisions. His performance is affecting the company’s untarnished image. So, Blanco swoops in, asking what is going on in his life and trying to get involved in the resolution.
Then there’s the employee who was included in the last round of layoffs (the “ceremony” of which the film uncomfortably opens with), who camps outside the business’ property in protest and refuses to leave. And then there’s the intern that Blanco is attracted to—and the employee whose son is getting into trouble, who asks his boss for help. The situations are endless, and they all begin to pile up, resulting in one hell of a denouement by the film’s close.
But it’s the way that Blanco herds all of these employees that will shrivel you up in your seat in discomfort as you watch. He takes on the role of the friend, the good boss, putting on a façade that the company is like his family and that he cares deeply for them, while it is clear that all he cares about is that award. The line that gives it all away, as Blanco wheedles Miralles into divulging about his life, is, “If you treat me like a boss, I’ll treat you like an employee.”
The beauty of this film is the discomfort it brings, using abhorrent circumstances to stir up the hypocrisy of Blanco’s character. There aren’t many likable people in the film, and it is hard to know whom to root for, but that makes the tornado of events even more fascinating. Bardem, as usual, has disappeared into his character, majestically toeing the line between hateable and relatable, and thus making him the perfect candidate for “The Good Boss.”
“The Good Boss” plays at Midtown Cinema in September. Don’t miss this one—and be ready to cringe.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.
August Events At Midtown Cinema
National Cinema Day
Saturday, Sept. 3
Down in Front! Presents
“Troll 2”
Friday, Sept. 9 at 9:30 p.m.(ish)
3rd in TheBurg Movie Night
“Best in Show”
Friday, Sept. 16 at 9:30 p.m.
National Theatre Live
“Straight Line Crazy”
Sunday, Sept. 18 at 5 p.m.
Manhattan Short Film Festival
Sept. 23 to 29
Music on the Patio
Thursdays, 6 to 8 p.m.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
