A suspenseful, atmospheric, darkly funny, thriller with Western overtones.
A Loose End screens as part of this year’s 2026 HSBC Spanish and Latin American Film Festival, more information about the festival is available here: HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival in cinemas June
Read the Glam Adelaide story about the festival here: 2026 HSBC Spanish & Latin American Film Festival begins 10 June – 5 July at Palace Nova Cinemas – Glam Adelaide
A man is standing on a deserted back street, when a car driven by two cops hits him. A police-officer approaches a roadside stall selling cheeses. On his way across the countryside the cheese-seller notices an illegal camp next to a creek. These images will gradually pull together over the next half an hour as Uruguayan director Daniel Hendler takes us on a quirky, funny, suspenseful ride, backwards and forwards across the Argentine-Uruguayan border.
In the lead role as cop Santiago, the devilishly handsome Sergio Prina is perfectly cast. His burgeoning love interest, Rocio, is played by the wonderful Pilar Gamboa. Each small role in this rollicking Western-thriller-romance-comedy, is delivered perfectly packaged by the actor, including Néstor Guzzini, Daniel Elías, and Germán De Silva. But the outstanding performance comes from Alberto “Mandrake” Wolf as the cheese seller. Singer-songwriter Wolf is well known in his native Uruguay, and Hendler gives him plenty of opportunity to perform his music within the framework of the narrative.
A Loose End takes a thriller scaffold, places it in a Western-style border setting, and then delivers it with black-comedic style. Consequently it does seem a little schizoid in personality. And yet the story holds together so well that one is left happily going with the flow. Special mention to editor Nicolás Goldbart who has done a stellar job of putting together what could have been a mish-mash.
With characters aplenty, and loads of laughs along the way, this is sure to be a popular addition to this year’s Spanish and Latin American Film Festival. It delivers, above all, an enormously enjoyable hour and a half in the cinema.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Rating 4 out of 5
Distributor: Palace Films
