El Presidente
2020
Original language: Spanish
- drama
The story
Sergio Jadue, a lowly director of a small-town soccer club in Chile, unexpectedly finds himself at the head of the Chilean soccer association. Drunk with power, he becomes the protégé of soccer godfather Julio Grondona, as well as the FBI’s key to undoing the largest corruption scheme in the world of soccer.
What it’s like
Handheld, restless camera work moves through fluorescent offices, hotel corridors and floodlit stadiums, with saturated colour and a sweaty, cramped feel to the interiors. Scenes often sit in tight, talky close-ups, and the tension comes from faces, glances and negotiations rather than action. The vibe is sly, sardonic and quietly anxious, a comedy of ambition that slowly curdles, suited to a late evening with a drink or a stretch of time when you want something with bite. Pacing is brisk and rhythmic, with sharp cuts and an undercurrent of unease that builds across episodes. The emotional register is cynical and gradually bleak, following a man who is flattered, seduced and ultimately consumed by his own appetite for status. Violence is almost absent; the intensity lies in deception, moral compromise and the threat of exposure, with occasional crude language and adult themes. It suits viewers who enjoy political thrillers, character-driven true-crime drama and stories about power corrupting ordinary people, and it is not a fit for anyone wanting something gentle or light.
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