Azor

Argentina, 1980: A Swiss private banker (a banker for money) travels to Buenos Aires in search of his colleague who has disappeared. He meets with the bank’s clients to reassure them and soon learns the unspoken rules of living under a dictatorship.

According to the film, Azor is a term touted around Swiss bankers meaning to be quiet—knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Andreas Fontana’s debut feature never overtly establishes the risks involved with asking questions, yet with every step our banker takes towards unravelling the mystery behind his colleague’s vanishing, the tension and drama escalates.

It’s not long before he realises there’s little use in prying, and that he’d be better off doing what he can to keep his business afloat.

Azor is essentially a series of discussions between a banker and his clients, and yet from this Fontana carves out a palpable sense of risk and fear. It’s a wonderfully shot, wonderfully executed slow-burning thriller.