AZOR: The Malice in Money

The debut feature from Swiss filmmaker Andreas Fontana, Azor is a sophisticated and sinister thriller suffused with a lasting feeling of unease. Set in the late 1970s, when the military junta in Argentina was waging their “Dirty War,” the film follows a Swiss banker and his wife as they navigate the glamorous drawing rooms and glittering swimming pools of the Argentine elite following the abrupt disappearance of a colleague. Violence is not overtly visible, but it ominously bubbles beneath the surface of every conversation, on the verge of boiling over into their privileged lives and scorching everything they hold dear—which, for this particular set of people, is primarily their wealth.

Power and Privilege

Yvan De Wiel (Fabrizio Rongione) arrives in Argentina from Switzerland accompanied by his posh wife, Inés (Stephanie Cléau) to visit several of the clients of the private bank in which he is a partner. Their mission is about much more than just mere glad-handing; Keys, one of Yvan’s partners in the bank and the main contact for most of these Argentine clients, has mysteriously disappeared, and Yvan must make necessary assurances that the bank is still worthy of being trusted. Meanwhile, Inés chats up the wives, observes the children, and offers Yvan valuable feedback on almost everything, including what style of suit to wear to meet certain clients.

A slight, soft-spoken person with an innocuous appearance, Yvan is inherently discrete—the exact kind of person you’d want to handle your valuable assets. But that’s no surprise, as we quickly learn he was raised that way; Yvan’s grandfather founded the bank and his father consolidated it. It’s in his blood to preserve the institution’s good name. Keys, however, was apparently the opposite—an exuberant man who had many friends but was also the subject of many whispered rumors about his “depraved” conduct. Indeed, almost everything in Azor is spoken of in a whisper, albeit one with an underlying tone of menace; when the super-rich are talking about trading stocks, it sounds like they’re plotting murder.

The military junta may have taken over Argentina, but the world of Yvan’s clients has not yet radically changed, though the darkness is slowly but surely encroaching on their idyllic, sun-dappled lives. Upon arriving in Argentina, Yvan and Inés are startled to see two young men, barely more than boys, thrust against the wall by soldiers. While attending a horse race, they are stopped by military officers who want to check their IDs. One of Yvan’s clients is mourning the disappearance of his adult daughter; only later do we learn she was part of a political group targeted by the junta. And no matter where one is, one always has a sense of being watched.

It’s clear that more upheaval is on the horizon; as one character says, “Here, people constantly live in fear of what might happen tomorrow.” All the while, people murmur about Keys; to some, he was a confidant and a traveling buddy, while to others, he was dangerous and manipulative. Some accept Yvan’s apologies for his partner’s behavior; others claim there is no reason to apologize at all. But as Yvan smoothly moves between luxurious mansions and exclusive country clubs with the intuitive Inés at his side, it gradually becomes clear that even if you never pick up a gun, it is impossible to operate in this world without getting blood on your hands.

Secrets and Lies

Azor swallows you up entirely with its lush atmosphere; from the luxe late 1970s fashions sported by Inés and the other wealthy women, courtesy of costume designer Simona Martínez, to the succession of gorgeous settings, including country estates and closed-membership clubs that most of us would never be privileged enough to set foot in ourselves, the entire film is crafted with maximum care. It’s all too easy to be pulled into Yvan’s strange quest when you feel as though you have been transported through time and space to land at his side, albeit without actually getting the benefit of those smooth c*cktails and crystal-clear swimming pools.

Throughout Azor, Fontana masterfully teases out the tension, spending long scenes observing conversations in which only snippets betray the harsh reality of the situation—not to mention, the reasons for Keys’ disappearance. Composer Paul Courlet’s tense score, a throbbing mass of ominous chords and shivering strings, only adds to the feeling of paranoia that pervades the entire film; one is perpetually aware that despite the aspirational beauty of the surroundings, there is ugliness lurking. While Azor does not exactly provide a primer on Argentine history—we, like Yvan and Inés, are dropped right into the situation with minimal guidance—one does not need to be an expert on that time period to understand what is at stake here. Despite the slow-burn pace, one is held rapt until the film’s final moments.

As Yvan, Rongione is the perfect guide into this heart of darkness; his subtle performance, all polite words, and refined gestures ensure that his motivations—no matter how explicitly he states them to others around him—remain murky enough to the audience for his quest to remain intriguing. As a banker, he’s not exactly a heroic figure, nor does the film try to make him into one; we’re not necessarily rooting for Yvan to succeed so much as we’re hoping he’ll uncover some juicy secrets for us. As Inés, Cléau is his perfect match, the glamorous master of soft diplomacy that Yvan could not do without. Inés is the perfect partner for Yvan in his work and his life, mostly because, as she notes to another character in the film, there are two people in their relationship and they are both Yvan. The way she submerges her own needs and desires to fully support Yvan is yet another underlying source of tension in Azor, one that is far more personal than the others but no less important to the story.

Conclusion

It’s nearly impossible not to compare Azor to the works of John le Carré, albeit removed from the nitty-gritty world of espionage to that of the highest echelons of finance. From the film’s deceptively beautiful aesthetic to its deeply mysterious story, Azor is a remarkable first feature for Andreas Fontana.

What do you think? What are some of your favorite political thrillers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Azor opens in select theaters in the U.S. on September 10, 2021. You can find more international release dates here.

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