El Buen Patrón

A darkly comical look at the machinations of power. A delicious Javier Bardem is firing on all cylinders as factory owner Julio Blanco. Just when his factory is on the verge of winning a big award for Business Excellence, circumstances – and his own actions – start to conspire against him.

Julio Blanco is delighted. His factory Basculas Blanco (Blanco Scales), which manufactures industrial scales, is one of the finalists in a regional award for Business Excellence. One of these days, the factory will be visited by an inspection committee, and Blanco wants to present a perfect picture.

But cracks are appearing on the smooth surface. José, a disgruntled former employee, starts camping outside the factory gates with his two children, a bunch of hand-made banners and a bullhorn. Meanwhile, Blanco ill-advisedly pulls some strings for the son of his handyman Fortuna, who is arrested for a racist attack. On top of that, he’s getting a little too close to young female intern Liliana. Both dark and upbeat, and often very funny, satire by León de Aranoa (Loving Pablo).