Glaxo

“All is lost when a friend betrays you,” declares a narrator, ominously, during the opening sequence of Glaxo, a film that unfolds as the fulfilment of that unsettling promise.

For his adaptation of the 2009 novel by fellow Argentinian Hernán Ronsino, talented auteur Benjamín Naishtat (Rojo, TIFF ’18) crafts an absorbing narrative that takes place in three different timelines and centres on Flaco and Miguelito, two of four close friends with ties dating back to their teenage years.

Flaco is sent to prison, framed for a crime he did not commit by Ramón Folcada, an ex-policeman with a violent past. The injustice stems from a lie told by Miguelito, who falsely identified Flaco as the lover of Folcada’s wife. In return, Folcada helps him avoid military service and secures him a coveted position at Glaxo, the town’s only factory.

Featuring multiple stars of contemporary Argentinian cinema — Marcelo Subioto as the shady Folcada, Lali Espósito as La Negra Miranda, Folcada’s seductive wife, and Esteban Bigliardi as Flaco — the film delivers a deeply atmospheric sense of time and place.

The suspenseful story unfolds gradually, exposing the complex motivations, betrayals, and lasting impact of its characters' choices. It also offers an intense, uncompromising look at some of the most painful chapters of Argentinian society during the second half of the 20th century.

DIANA CADAVID

Content advisory: mature themes