Argentina | Mexico | Spain | Denmark | USA | UK 2024
Opening September 18, 2025
Directed by: Luis Ortega
Writing credits: Luis Ortega, Rodolfo Palacios, Fabian Casas
Principal actors: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Úrsula Corberó, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Luis Ziembrowski, Adriana Aguirre
Argentine writer-director Luis Ortega takes audiences for a ride through the absurd with Kill the Jockey. The troubled Remo (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart / Delores “Lola”), a once-upon-a-time jockey of repute, is seemingly searching for disaster along his downward spiral of self-destructiveness. The once “good kid” keeps ping-ponging from the gangsters trying to control him (Roberto Carnaghi, Osmar Núñez, Daniel Fanego), and Sirena (Daniel Giménez Cacho) the baby-carrying visionary trying to help. Sirena, demanding results, dictates almost everyone’s moves. Including Abril (Úrsula Corberó), an aspiring jockey and inspiring love interest. When Remo’s actions outdistance people’s wildest anticipation, his race to perdition takes a twist. The sharp-eyed trio, inefficacious smalltime players, miss a lot as Remo purposefully dodges their efforts. Abril is in turmoil scouring Buenos Aires tracking Remo’s bizarre behavior. Her change of conduct, then, is the direct result from another jockey’s (Mariana Di Girólamo) empathy, with the outcome outweighing her decision-making dilemma.
Kill the Jockey’s aesthetical visuality, musicality and impressive sound design elevates the film’s uniqueness; it’s slick, enticing. Timo Salminen’s wily, fluid cinematography advantageously chooses positions best for showcasing its subjects, and Sune Wagner’s nuzzling score alongside Guido Berenblum’s sound design are attention-grabbing. The strong cast is well-matched to its characters: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart manages to assimilate/portray Remo’s many quirky characteristics and disorders, dredging up some audience sympathy, as does Úrsula Corberó and Daniel Giménez Cacho and the Mafia clan; the “Lola” character seems like an afterthought. The jockey characters’ two-dimensionality is hard to ignore, instilling a laissez-faire in viewers regarding any emotional involvement concerning them.
Yibran Asuad and Rosario Suárez’s editing, Julia Freid’s production design, Julia Freid and Germán Naglieri’s art direction, and Beatriz Di Benedetto’s costume design is frosting on the cake. This Ortega production is all about impression, about rocking people back on their heels; what requires his attention next is story. Although Argentine’s Best International Feature Film entry for the 2025 Academy Awards, Kill the Jockey did not make the short list, more likely it will become a favorite of arthouse cinemas. 96 minutes (Marinell H.)