El código
2006 · 4m · España
Directed by Álex de la Iglesia
Genres: biography, documentary, essay film
Tones: contemplative, theatrical
Álex de la Iglesia holds an in-depth interview with Leonardo Da Vinci, who reveals for the first time the best-kept secrets of works such as La Gioconda and The Last Supper, and speaks freely about the controversial novel.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
De la Iglesia conducting a séance with Da Vinci to crack open the *real* codes in Mona Lisa feels like the kind of gonzo premise that collapses under its own weight—except it doesn't, and that's almost disappointing; the film plays it straight enough to make you wonder if he actually believes this.
A four-minute essay that situates itself deliberately in the tradition of biographical portraiture and art-historical inquiry, using the artifice of the interview to ask genuine questions about intention and legacy—the theatrical staging becomes the form's argument about how we access historical figures.
The masterstroke is the decision to let Da Vinci answer in his own words (or something like them) rather than have de la Iglesia narrate over images; that single choice—trusting the subject's voice to carry the mystery—transforms what could've been a gimmick into something that actually earns its premise on a shoestring runtime.