Roberto Bueso premieres family drama El mal padre with Eduard Fernández at San Sebastián

Festival competition and premiere

Roberto Bueso presented his third feature film, El mal padre, in the official competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival on 22 September 2026. The production, led by producer Fernando Bovaira, is the second Spanish film competing for the Concha de Oro at the festival. Bueso wrote the screenplay alongside co-writer Óscar Díaz Cruz, developing the story when he was preparing to become a father. The drama was filmed entirely in the Valencian Community before arriving at the festival's official section. The film is scheduled to open across Spanish cinemas on 20 November 2026.

Portrayal of an estranged patriarch

Four-time Goya award winner Eduard Fernández plays the central role of Santiago Balmes, a celebrated writer and philosopher diagnosed with a terminal illness. Balmes summons his three adult children to their seaside family home for Christmas Eve, years after abandoning them to start a new life with another partner. Fernández, who received the Concha de Plata for best actor in 2016 for El hombre de las mil caras and Spain's National Cinematography Award in 2025, described the patriarch as deeply egotistical. The actor noted that Balmes prioritized personal ambition and creative output over his family responsibilities without remorse.

You had to dare to play an unpleasant guy, and he is one at times. And there are moments that when I watch it I say, wow, that is rough. An actor always wants to save himself.

Generational wounds and family dynamics

The drama traces the lasting impact of parental absence across the lives of Balmes's three children. The film begins with the youngest son, Alberto, played by Adam Jezierski, who experiences dread while looking at an ultrasound of his future child. Meritxell Calvo plays the daughter, a character confronting her own fertility issues who fears inheriting her father's emotional shortcomings. Francesco Carril completes the sibling trio as the eldest son, participating in fraught confrontations during family gatherings. Director Roberto Bueso explained during the festival press conference that the screenplay reflects on how people assess previous generations.

I think that we children tend at times to punish parents a bit too much with today's new perspective, you review how they did it in generational terms, you have a certain temptation to think that you will do it much better and when you become a father you realize that you know nothing.

Filming approach and cast reflections

The narrative balances confrontation and dark humor, using dialogue-heavy meals and an extended sequence on the beach to unpack decades of resentment. During the press conference, Calvo explained that the family dynamic reflects a shared difficulty in expressing love and compassion. Fernández observed that the characters remain drawn to their father despite his past cruelty, driven by a complex need for parental approval. Bueso and Díaz Cruz structured the story to avoid simplistic moral judgments, focusing instead on the emotional damage inherited across generations. The festival screening puts El mal padre in contention for the festival awards ceremony scheduled for the following Saturday.