I saw a thought provoking dark comedy recently, The Boss of it All. This Danish film explores the use and abuse of power in a corporate setting. The owner of an IT company wants to sell and the potential purchasers insist on negotiating with the “Boss” face to face. The only problem is that when he started the company, the owner invented an imaginary company president to hide behind and take the rap when unpopular steps needed to be taken. So, he hires an actor.

The movie explores issues of credibility, deception, respect and value of workers, moral values and ethics, and speaking the truth. In one scene, the real president is ready to sell off the company without informing the workers, and the actor calls him on it. There are more twists and surprises later as the actor faces further tests of his moral fiber.

This multi-layered film, while described in some of the reviews as a “funny film” and a “delightful farce,” goes well beyond the comic plot lines of the TV series “The Office,” posing moral dilemmas about how a boss creates distrust and mistreats workers. The film explores other ethical issues as well, such as holding oneself accountable for one’s actions, posing questions on the real meaning of leadership. It shows the extent to which a person will ignore the needs of others and deceive and manipulate others for gain, just to satisfy their own vanity and desire for power.