When a billionaire entrepreneur impulsively decides to create an iconic movie, he demands the best. Renowned filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz) is recruited to mastermind this ambitious endeavour. Completing the all-star team are two actors with enormous talent but even bigger egos: Hollywood heartthrob Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and radical theatre actor Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez). Both are legends, but not exactly best friends. Through a series of increasingly eccentric trials set by Lola, Félix and Iván must confront not only each other, but also their own legacies. Who will be left when the cameras finally start rolling?
For in-depth thoughts on Official Competition, please see my colleague Devin McGrath-Conwell’s review from its theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Official Competition debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio that impresses without fail throughout. The movie features deep black levels that hold together nicely without ever crushing. The highlights of the movie are likewise stable with no blooming in sight. The transfer provides a tremendous amount of detail and clarity, especially in distinct aspects of the clothing and production design. Objects hold up well in the darker environments and retain their depth with banding rarely showing up in any capacity. The movie itself has a crisp, natural palette that showcases beautifully on screen with hues popping off the screen. No damage or digital noise was detected that would detract from this transfer. RLJE and IFC Films deliver an impressive picture here.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with a nuanced DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Spanish. The dialogue and sound effects are balanced well with the terrific score where nothing gets lost. The movie has fun with the environmental sounds to make the locations feel more three dimensional. Surround channels get some lovely activity during the exterior scenes on location and when in public gatherings. The low end adds some worthy texture that enhances the atmosphere. This is a top-notch track all around. There are English subtitles provided.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on the disc.
Final Thoughts
Official Competition is a truly scathing and sharp satire of the prestige-driven corridor of the film industry that makes the real-world absurdities devilishly funny. While this may hit home harder with those already obsessed with this world, there is a lot to delight in more broadly thanks to the precisely defined characters that populate the narrative. All of the performers seem like they are having a blast playing up the ridiculous nature of their characters, each of them stealing the show at any given moment. Outside of possibly being able to shave a little time off the final edit, there is not much you will find us criticizing. IFC Films and RLJE Entertainment have released a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation but no special features. If you consider yourself a part of #FilmTwitter, consider this a must watch. Recommended
Official Competition is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.