The Rodrigo Cortés film you can watch today on Netflix: the nosedive of the winner of television's biggest award.

Actor Leonardo Sbaraglia stars in one of the most unexpected satires about the financial system and television . The film marked the directorial debut of Rodrigo Cortés , the filmmaker who would later achieve acclaim for Buried and who recently released Escape , starring Mario Casas and produced by Martin Scorsese .

The film, winner of the Critics' Award and Best Cinematography at the Malaga Film Festival, tells the story of Martín Circo, an economics professor whose life is turned upside down after winning the biggest television competition to date: a jackpot valued at three million euros. But what begins as a dream quickly turns into a nightmare, trapped between taxes, debt, and an unforgiving financial system.

In his free fall, the character embodies a fierce denunciation of the abuses of modern capitalism . Contestant premiered in theaters in 2007, with a cast rounded out by Luis Zahera , Miryam Gallego, and Chete Lera. The film presents a scathing critique of the economic model, while portraying how sudden success can reveal the worst of one's immediate surroundings.

Cortés shot this feature film in less than six weeks and accompanied it with a powerful viral marketing campaign, under the slogan "Wake up, idiot," which included street actions, YouTube videos, and a digital community created to amplify the film's anti-establishment message.

Over time, this debut feature has gained cult status in contemporary Spanish cinema, and its release on Netflix provides a perfect opportunity to revisit, or discover for the first time, Contestant , a parable about the money trap and the loneliness of the winner.