Value is in the eye of the beholder, or so they say. In The Masterpiece (La Gran Obra), it appears in the strangest of ways. Leo (Daniel Grao) and Diana (Melina Matthews), a wealthy couple, lead junkyard dealers Salif (Babou Cham) and Yousef (Adam Nourou) back to their estate to collect more scrap lying around the property. It all starts with a dryer, but the men quickly begin gathering more items. Tension hangs over every moment as Salif and Yousef search around the mansion, but something catches Leo and Diana’s attention that might get them more than they bargained for.
The film, which is shortlisted for this year’s Oscars, is a real slow burn – where every little detail and exchange matters. Director Álex Lora channels the uncertainty that comes with the apparent class divide on screen, where both the couple and the pair of scrap vendors try to find comfort in their predicament. Diana offers them refreshments, while Salif zeroes in on a particular bike in the garage. Why are Leo and Diana giving the men access to their home despite their uneasiness? What are Salif and Yousef really after, if anything at all? Questions upon questions emerge, and answers don’t come easy throughout the entirety of The Masterpiece. This gradual and methodical progression beautifully mimics the likes of Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece Parasite, which dealt with similar themes. In fact, the minimalistic exterior of the mansion immediately brings it to mind. A pleasantly familiar setting, and the film doesn’t just have its nail-biter of a story to fall back on, but it also has some relevant social commentary to match.
Intensity builds, and the performances follow suit as the short becomes more and more concerned with Diana and Leo’s discovery. The actors put on their best poker faces, where it’s difficult to read exactly what either party’s next move will be. Most surprising of all is the sublime performances in Grao, who gives Leo, a supposedly reputable family man, a decidedly uglier edge. It all builds to a fever pitch, where absolutely nothing is a foregone conclusion. It’s almost as if we the audience are being put to the test, urged to examine whose intentions can ultimately prevail.
The concept of the value we attribute to our possessions is brilliantly deconstructed in Álex Lora’s The Masterpiece, a film that has just as much to say about differing prejudices in modern society.
