He has in the past been savaged by critics for a certain tendency to solemnity and even kitsch, but who could forget the ingenious plot of his début feature, Familia, about a deadbeat who hires a bunch of actors to impersonate his ideal brood? His latest film once again explores the theme of home, albeit transposed to the resolutely capitalist workplace where the titular boss plays the domineering father figure unafraid to trample on boundaries – all in the name of business.ĭoubling up as writer and director, de Aranoa takes his cues from plot writing 101 and throws his protagonist into a snake pit of strife.
León de Aranoa is, at heart, a master storyteller, as proven by his earlier works. The film is in the running for the Golden Shell here at the 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival, and it has a decent chance - provided the jury can get over its long-standing disdain for the comedic genre - of going home with an award, whether Best Actor (Bardem, who scooped the Oscar for No Country for Old Men, is every bit as thrillingly odious here) or Best Screenplay. As others have noted, The Good Boss flips this concept on its head, unafraid to mess with the theme that won this dynamic duo a shower of accolades. It was the second collaboration between director Fernando León de Aranoa and Javier Bardem following the success of Mondays in the Sun (2002), which gave us a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of a group of unemployed dockers. Three years ago, the enjoyably bonkers Loving Pablo had audiences rolling in the aisles. Javier Bardem and Celso Bugallo in The Good Boss
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