Blanco (Bardem) initially appears to be a kindly, if bland, owner of a factory. ‘Don’t treat me like a boss’, he gestures to his employees. But behind the genial façade lies a selfish profiteer. Blanco is all smiles for a visiting journalist and is intent on keeping morale up so he can win a government award. But when he makes a long-serving employee redundant and takes advantage of his latest intern, cracks start to appear in the industrialist’s world.

Fernando León de Aranoa previously worked with Bardem on the Escobar biopic Loving Pablo and the gentle drama Mondays in the Sun. With The Good Boss, they change gear dramatically, skillfully balancing humour with a merciless critique of greed.

"It’s a comedy, but no laughing matter. It’s the blackest of satires -- the kind in which a smiling face hides a monstrous heart." - Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald