Under Her Control[4] (Spanish: La jefa, lit. 'The Boss') is a 2022 Spanish drama film directed by Fran Torres in his feature length debut, starring Aitana Sánchez-Gijón and Cumelén Sanz.
Sofía, who works for a multinational company, gets pregnant. Desperate for offspring, Sofía's boss Beatriz offers her a bargain involving the child (to be given in adoption) in exchange for a job promotion. Instead of interrupting her pregnancy, Sofía accepts the offer.[5][6]
La jefa is Fran Torres' debut feature film.[10] The screenplay was penned by Laura Sarmiento.[11] Produced by Feelgood Media, Francisco Torres Quincoces, Hugo-Daniel Boyero Garmendia, Penúltima Toma AIE, Teoponte PC and Audiovisuales del Monte,[12] filming took place in 2021, shooting in Madrid in July.[13]
Distributed by Filmax, it was theatrically released in Spain on 29 April 2022,[2][12] grossing €22,400 at the domestic box office.[14] It was released on-demandbyNetflix on 31 August 2022[3]asUnder Her Control.[2][15]
Pablo Vázquez of Fotogramas rated the film with 4 out of 5 stars praising "its twisted and playful nature, worthy of the best exploitation cinema", assessing the give-and-take between a Joan Crawford-esque Sánchez-Gijón and the "young and enchanting" Cumelén Sanz to be the engine of the film.[5]
Oti Rodríguez Marchante of ABC scored 2 out of 5 stars, writing that "the way in which the plot is complexified is overly forced, but it is easy to see the place towards which the plot is tumbling".[16]
Carmen L. Lobo of La Razón gave it 3 out of 5 stars, praising "an always stupendous" Sánchez-Gijón as well as Cumelén Sanz, while also observing the similarities of the story with that of The Daughter.[17]
