THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG/ LA PUNTA DEL ICEBERG

Spain, 2016, 91 minutes, Colour.

Maribel Verdu, Carmelo Gomez, Fernando Cayo, Barbara Goenaga.

Directed by David Canovas.

This is a comparatively brief but very interesting film, especially for those concerned about business, management, pressures on executives, on staff.

The film opens with pressure on an executive who then kills himself. It is revealed that two other executives have killed themselves in the office building. One of the rare female executives, Sofia, played by Maribel Verdu, tough in herself, even to firing her sister-in-law for not being effective in her job, her commission to go to the office to examine the situation, do interviews and write a report.

The bulk of the film is Sofia and her interviews, with a range of people, the overall executive in that office being very dominating, further revelations about his bullying, having videos (surveillance cameras in all the major rooms), blackmail and pressurising for better results. As she listens, especially to Gabriella, revealing aspects of liaisons in the office, pregnancies, further pressures, she visualises the suicides and the effect on her.

Ultimately, she writes a report but looks at the USB stick, with many videos from the surveillance cameras, used for bullying, for blackmail and pressurising. She then confronts the board, their refusing to act, her being fired, her going home and facing the moral issues and making a decision to make contact with the press who had initially asked for an interview with her.

Quite intense at times, but raising significant issues of business management and human resources.

1. Title? Business management? Mismanagement, power and domination?
2. The Spanish setting, the visuals of significant buildings, externals, interiors, offices, interview rooms…? Homes? The musical score?
3. The introduction, Marcello, the discussion, threats, his manner, suicide? The revelation of the other suicides? The executive shooting himself in his office? The executive cutting his throat and the bathroom? The final suicide of Gabriella, falling from the roof?
4. The exploration of pressure in big business, command and control, exploiting, blackmail, suicides?
5. The introduction to Sofia, the interview with Enzo, the influence of the head, the internal investigation, her being sent to do the report? Her background, ruthless, firing her sister-in-law and the reasons? Her reputation?
6. Travelling to the office, the interview with the director, his attitudes, controlling, treatment of severe? her being given the office of Marcella? Her personality, control, stern, the interviews, handling different people, Gabriella, the discussions, the truth, the USB stick? The visualising of the suicides of the men and her contemplating them? The interview with Alejandro, the past contact, his being in Germany, womanising, the return, the unions, the interactions between them? The encounters with Jaime, his attitudes, in a hurry, the vending machine, the later meetings, the effect of the meetings on her?
7. The writing of the report, Gabriella, the videos, her reaction, confrontation with the head? Her return home, tearing up her report, the impact of the videos? Integrity?
8. Going to the meeting, entering without invitation, handing out the reports, the men, exclusively men, reading the reports, Enzo and his reactions, the head, the indication that nothing would happen, business interests? Sofia and her denunciation, her exclusion, firing? Going to see her sister-in-law, the apology?
9. The moral dilemma, reassessing her own attitudes, integrity, the phone call to Jaime, the future and the media, investigations?