Martín Armendáriz (Bicho), Franco Repetti (Lucio), Joaquín Bonadeo (Miguel) and Josela Barbeito (Flaco Varderman)
“All is lost when a friend betrays you,”
Set in the town of Chivilcoy, the film jumps between time periods,from 1955, 1957 and then finally ending in 1984. Shortly after the army and navy-led 1955 coup that ousted President Perón, who then fled into exile in Spain some terrible atrocities take place. The regime changes but local officials do not and the air of oppression still lingers.
Marcelo Subiotto as Sergeant Ramón Folcada
In particular, manipulative and ruthless officials like Police Sergeant Ramón Folcada (superbly played by Marcelo Subiotto). The new military government, fearing Peronist uprisings, sends out brutal orders that local police must set an example and deal immediately with any whiff of dissent. One night during a major international boxing match, while all villagers are glued to their screens, a group of suspects is arrested with no evidence or cause and summarily executed. These extra judicial killings continue and the feared local Police Sergeant Ramón Folcada that carries out these orders to the letter without question, is honoured and quietly retired.
Only months later, in 1956, four inseparable teenage friends muck about and go every week to the village dances, in Chivilcoy, where the Glaxo factory is the only real source of jobs in the town and everyone is beholden to it in some way or another. Everyone hopes to work there one day and there is envy for those who succeed. What few are aware of then, is how the asbestos at that factory is also, insidiously, killing everyone off slowly, unlike the more obvious methods of the regimes that kill with impunity leaving behind consequences for people to deal with.
The retired Sergeant Folcada is now running a nearby ranch, but is still the same man with the same beliefs and everyone is wary of him lurking dangerously in the background. Though he is feared, internally, this is man tormented by his own paranoia for he is married to Miranda (Lali Espósito) nicknamed Negra (for her jet-black hair), a much younger, attractive and flirtatious wife from Buenos Aires.
Folcada is beset with jealousy but, terrified of losing her, gives in to her whims and allows her to go on her own to dance at the local jamboree every week. The sexy and sophisticated Negra Miranda oozing sensuality from every pore when she dances, provokes a total shock to the systems in all the men and lads that attend the weekly dances in the town, who inevitably end up lusting after her.
Lali Espósito as Negra Miranda
The four teenage friends are among the worst affected. They bully each to pluck up the courage to ask her out to dance, hopelessly failing until one, Lucio (Franco Repetti) succeeds. The balance of things begins to change when Miguelito (Manú Fanego), the youngest in the group and known to have a way with horses, is hired by Folcada to go to his ranch to break in a horse for La Negra Miranda to ride. She takes the first opportunity to come on to the shy and reticent Miguelito, seducing him and they embark on a secret affair.
Folcada suspecting his wife’s infidelity finds himself burning up with jealousy and starts to pressurize Miguelito to find the culprit or his life won’t be worth living. Setting off a tragic chain of events.
Esteban Bigliardi as Flaco Varderman
“No man knows the value of freedom until he loses it.”
Many years later, in 1984, one year into democracy after the fall of the brutal Military Regime, Flaco Varderman, the barber’s son, one of the 4 friends return to Chivilcoy after having spent an extended period in prison. His return re-awakens unresolved issues as the friends find themselves having to confront the past and deal with the hurt, guilt and possible revenge for terrible betrayals.
Benjamin Naishtat was born in Argentina in 1986. After graduating from film school in Buenos Aires he completed his studies on Le Fesnoy-Studio national des Arts Contemporains in France. He has garnered a clutch of top awards for his works including a Silver Shell for Best Director and Best Actor (Dario Grandinetti) and Best Cinematography, for ‘ROJO’ alone. No mean feat!
In Glaxo, the performances are excellent and Naishtat has, once again, relied on the beautiful cinematography of his colleague Pedro Sotero, with the original music by composer Shigeru Umebayashi adding an energy of its own, enhancing the visuals. This is a beautifully-crafted film that lingers long after the credits have ended.
Benjamín Naishtat's debut film was ‘History of Fear,’ (2014) followed by ‘The Movement’(2015), ‘Rojo’(2018), ‘Puán’ (2023) and now ‘Glaxo’(2026) and the subject matter that he often explores remains consistent with themes close to his heart.
Marcelo Subiotto as Folcada and Lali Espósito as Negra
In Naishtat’s films, we usually find traces of the long shadow cast by many of the country’s brutal regimes, and not only the military regimes. We have themes of crossed allegiances with betrayals at every level, upsetting many a romance. Too many weak people brown-nosing and ingratiating themselves to those in a position of power, to the detriment of their integrity. But what do the ordinary man do in these circumstances? It's significant how often he chooses to set his films in small provincial towns where you would have thought these long dark arms of horror could not so easily reach.
As Naishtat complains in an earlier interview with Latino Life: -
“At some point, I would like to film a romantic comedy… but this is what ends up emerging from me! I always end up with these dense themes and I don’t really know why!”
GLAXO (2026) by Argentine director Benjamín Naishtat
Was at the 70th BFI London Film Festival
Based on the novella Glaxo by Hernán Ronsino
Producer: Rodrigo Teixeira/ Producers: Santiago Gallelli, Benjamín Domenech/ Matías Roveda / Producer: Berta Marchiori / DOP: Pedro Sotero ABC / Art Director: Ezequiel Galeano/ Direct Sound: Valéria Ferro / Sound Designer: Fernando Ribero / Editor: Livia Serpa / Researcher: Milena Acosta / Development Exec Producer: Maya Batista and Fernanda Frotté / Exec Producer: Marília Garske / Original music: Shigeru Umebayashi / Rei Pictures with RT Features and Film Committee in Media City Qatar.
CAST: - Lali Espósito as la Negra Miranda/ Marcelo Subiotto as Ramón Folcada/ Esteban Bigliardi as Vardeman (adult) / Esteban Lamothe as Lucio Montes (adult) /Alan Sabbagh as Bicho Souza (adult) / Manu Fanego as Miguelito (adult) / Joaquín Bonadeo as Miguelito (young)/ Josela Barbeito as Vardeman (young)/ Franco Repetti as Lucio Montes (young) and Martín Armendáriz as Bicho Souza (young)/ Jorge Prado as Alcides
Puán (2023) Review https://www.latinolife.co.uk/articles/puan-2023-benjamin-naishstat-and-maria-alche
Rojo (2018) Review https://www.latinolife.co.uk/articles/rojo-2018-dir-benjamin-naishtat
