To the backdrop of a massive protest against banks and large corporations, one of the latter tests 7 candidates to see which one will get the one open position. No one from Personnel shows up, instead, they get instructions, sometimes vague, through computer monitors, and this explores the group dynamics(which are not rigid throughout) of these very different, and all fully rounded, credible characters(not one of which is a scapegoat or only negative), as well as the nature of authority, social pressure, and the effect of capitalism on priorities and how far we're willing to go. It kind of plays out like watching one of those sick psychological experiments from the 60's. We are limited to these people and then the quirky, strange secretary(who really adds to this overall Kafkaesque feeling), and the setting is equally isolated(one could almost call it claustrophobic), with us not leaving the foreign, unfriendly environment of the office for the entire duration. The acting is excellent. Dialog is great. This is tense from start to finish, only increasing as it goes, and the pacing is incredible. Not only are you never bored, it only gets more gripping as it goes, and the ending is utterly spot-on, and perfect. There are some nice surprises along the way, if you can figure some things out from tendencies and the like(something I don't see anything wrong with, if it comes naturally, then it doesn't have to pull the carpet out from underneath the audience). There is a bit of moderate to strong language and a brief but rather direct sex scene, with female frontal nudity(possibly full, it's hard to tell) in this. I recommend this to fans of Spanish cinema and films driven by those they follow, and that go into human nature(including the ugly parts). 8/10

Seven executives are gathered in a room, ostensibly to chose one to fill an open position. I tuned in to see Eduardo Noriega, but he was not the star of this film. The real stars were the writers Mateo Gil and Marcelo Piñeyro, who took a Jordi Galcerán play and made a film that was compelling from start to finish.In addition to Noriega, there were outstanding performances by Ernesto Alterio, Carmelo Gómez, Eduard Fernández, Adriana Ozores, and Pablo Echarri. While her role was minor, Natalia Verbeke had a charm that captivated me every time she entered the room.I don't know about this Grönholm method, but it certainly brought out the best and worst of the people, and showed what they would be like in the company. I guess the closest thing to this film would be 12 Angry Men, except here it was seven, and two were women. Sexism, ageism, nationalism: they all came into play as the individuals competed.What part of yourself do you give up to win? Outstanding ending.

It's the thought of the situation. The thought of being there in the same situation as the characters of "The Method" is what makes it so damn interesting, and nerve-wracking, and good. The rest is soup, as some may say. There are no new tricks being attempted here, no important message to be delivered; in fact, when the movie gets serious about the situation of the world economy or when it drifts into love relationships between some characters, it losses its rhythm. The juice is in the method of the title, the Gronholm Method; something companies apparently do select a person for a vacant working position. In a wide spaced room, we meet Julio (Carmelo Gómez), Ana (Adriana Ozores), Enrique (Ernesto Alterio), Ricardo (Pablo Echarri), Fernando (Eduard Fernández), Nieves (Najwa Nimri) and Carlos (Eduardo Noriega); seven individuals who are applying for the same position. Montse (Natalia Verbeke), a secretary, receives them kindly, but once they are inside that room, they're completely on their own.And it becomes like a jungle, like the definition Darwin once expressed as 'natural selection', where the most apt will prevail. The humans that instantly turn into animals device their strategy and start playing the game. They follow instructions that are given by texts written in computers, but always wander off and end up talking about some deeper than company responsibilities: moral issues, survival issues, romantic and sexual issues and the economic situation that's always present. To describe each of the characters separately has no point. I can merely say that Ernesto Alterio takes the biggest round of applause, as he expresses an initial enthusiasm with the strange situation that gradually turns into insecurity and desperation. Carmelo Gómez is also especially good in representing exactly the opposite. Echarri playing a wiseass is something we've seen a lot of times, and it does him no good because it's hard to believe anything he says; while Verbeke delivers a perfect secretary that shows an excess of sweetness so that it becomes impossible to trust her. Three years after "Kamchatka", Marcelo Piñeyro's major achievement is the decision of taking the renowned play the movie's based on to the big screen. The people I know (including myself) watch more movies than plays (and I love plays), and "The Method" gives them and everyone the possibility of experiencing something that has to be experienced. I wanted to see the play but never did. Piñeyro, with a necessary respect for silence (and the correct use of incidental music that comes from the secretary's office next to the room in which everything takes place), embraces the tension that the play represents and, by using ferocious close-ups and keeping his actors focused and under control, makes us feel we're there, watching these people closely.And the play is play no more. It's a movie now, called "The Method", that doesn't transcend the merely theatrical, but provides us a timeless document that shows a powerful and shocking experience we can grab and watch any time we feel like it.

Seven candidates show up at some multinational in Madrid, all of them in the last round of a recruitment process. While the city is immersed by anti-globalization protests on the streets down below, the candidates are turned on each other for the selection. A sadistic analysis of the contemporary business world, pushed just that little bit further to earn it the title of a satire.The cruel game is played out in the confines of the office, with the candidates fending for themselves under the presumed watchful eye of the named, but anonymous, entity which is the corporation. The tension mounts quickly, as the strong characters clash head-on in their perfectly developed manipulative manners after their years in business life. An excellent cast plays clever but tough dialogues in scenes which are a little too close to reality for comfort. A clear message surfaces as the film comes to a close, leaving a sour aftertaste. Not an uplifting movie to watch, but ingeniously crafted. Bare in mind that you may want to lay in the sun after surviving this one.