The Dinner

What it’s about

Two weeks after the Spanish Civil War ends, Franco orders a celebratory dinner at Madrid's Palace Hotel. Lieutenant Santiago Medina is tasked with organizing it, but all the best chefs are imprisoned Republicans. The maître d', Genaro, proposes releasing the finest among them. Freed for one night, the cooks face a choice: obey their captors, poison the banquet, or attempt an escape.

What hooks you

Manuel Gómez Pereira directs Mario Casas as Medina, Alberto San Juan as Genaro, and Asier Etxeandia as Alonso. The film won two Goya Awards, for Best Costume Design and Best Adapted Screenplay, and received six further nominations, including Best Film and Best Actor. Its premise places a life-or-death decision inside a hotel kitchen on a single historic night.

Who it’s for

It will appeal to those who like moral dilemmas served with dark humour, where historical weight presses on every small choice. It suits viewers drawn to ensemble tension, period settings, and stories in which a kitchen becomes a political stage.