26/03/2026 - Víctor García León pokes fun at—and shares in—the contradictions of modern fatherhood, where men are willing to trample their own ethical principles in order to climb the social ladder

Marian Álvarez, Israel Elejalde and Suso Nanclares in Better Class

Premiered in ompetition at the 29th Málaga Film Festival, the biting comedy Better Class, directed by Víctor García León, arrives in Spanish cinemas on Friday 27 March, distributed by BTeam Pictures.

With a screenplay co-written by García León himself and Borja Cobeaga (the creative force behind recent comedies such as the series Su majestad and I Don't Like Driving, among others), the film introduces Alicia and Gonzalo, a middle-class couple played by Marian Álvarez and Israel Elejalde who, through a bizarre twist of fate, stumble upon the chance to enrol their son in a highly coveted elite secular school. For the parents, this represents a foothold in the upper class, with all the imagined advantages that come with that step up the social ladder, despite them insisting they are doing it solely for the sake of their only child, Fer, and his bright future. 

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A single incident sets this transformation in motion: a teacher at a state school turns to the supposedly responsible parents and says, “We need to talk about Fer”, a reference to the title of We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver’s remarkable novel adapted for the screen by Lynne Ramsay. The boy here is far from a model of good behaviour, yet that becomes secondary when overshadowed by something far more important to his parents: securing him a place at the elite school attended by the daughter of Gonzalo’s boss, played with considerable sarcasm by Juan Diego Botto.

Drawing heavily on the ironic, biting humour inherited from Rafael Azcona – the screenwriter from La Rioja who, alongside the master Luis García Berlanga, used laughter to expose the miseries of Spanish society – García León and Cobeaga bring to the fore conflicts and issues that may seem terrifying to the childless, yet are entirely familiar to those who have had children.

A whole complex world – choosing a school, parents’ associations and their WhatsApp groups, endless children’s birthday parties – adds flavour to and propels a plot that moves at an uneven pace, yet hits the mark when it comes to modern parenting, where the elusive pursuit of perfection reigns.

In the face of such hypocritical longing for social advancement which, through its contradictions, shatters ethical and moral principles, the main problem is overlooked: that perhaps little Fer, however much the cryptic headteacher of the new school (played by Pilar Castro) insists otherwise, does not possess exceptional abilities. These supposedly enviable traits, so proudly touted in conversation, may in fact conceal more serious problems — problems that few parents are willing to acknowledge. The film concludes with a hilarious final gag, certain to bring a wry smile to the faces of devoted parents, whilst reaffirming the choices of those who never even considered having children.

Better Class is a Spanish-Uruguayan co-production by Buenapinta Media, Think Studio, Colosé Producciones, Sayaka Producciones and Altas Capacidades Película, A.I.E., in association with Cimarrón. Film Factory Entertainment handles its sales.

(Translated from French)