It’s 1980, Argentina is under a military dictatorship, and Swiss banker Yvan (Fabrizio Rongione) has just arrived in Buenos Aires from Geneva. Discretion is crucial in his line of work. Azor, we hear, is slang for “be quiet” or, rather, “careful what you say”. With the help of his wife, Inés (Stéphanie Cléau), Yvan tours plush hotel bars and private pools, reassuring his super-rich clients that their assets remain safe. Except that there are rumours of horses being “disappeared”. Also missing is Yvan’s business partner, Keys, whose absence haunts this slow-burning mystery. As far as the plot is concerned, almost nothing happens, and yet Andreas Fontana’s sinewy debut teems with unseen threat. He crafts an atmosphere of grubbiness despite all the polished surfaces.
