Kill the Jockey (2025)

Direction: Luis Ortega
Country: Argentina / Mexico / other

Kill the Jockey, the fifth feature from Argentine filmmaker Luis Ortega, is a surrealist neo-noir tragicomedy—visually striking and mood-rich—that is just odd enough to skate by. However, it can feel somewhat thin in the plot, despite its intriguing exploration of identity, exploitation, and rebirth. 

The script—crafted by Ortega, Rodolfo Palacios (El Angel, 2018), and Fabian Casas (Jauja, 2014; Eureka, 2023)—follows Remo Manfredini (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), a horse racing legend whose erratic, self-destructive behavior has left him numb. Struggling with addiction, Remo thrives on disaster and holds contempt for success. The racing world is dominated by Ruben Sirena (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a gangster obsessed with babies, whose only leverage now rests with Remo’s pregnant girlfriend, April (Úrsula Corberó). After a severe accident, Remo undergoes radical physical and psychological transformations that alter the course of his life.

Ortega’s vision is captivatingly strange, and the cast delivers exactly what he demands. Brimming with cinematic references, the film blends Aki Kaurismäki’s mordant humor, Wes Anderson’s bittersweet surrealism, and Radu Jude’s provocative social commentary. While the narrative occasionally feels circular, its offbeat tone and whimsical audacity make it potentially addictive once you surrender to its peculiar rhythms.

Beau is Afraid (2023)

Direction: Ari Aster
Country: USA 

Beau is Afraid is a quirky Freudian odyssey with an unhinged mother/son relationship at the center and some elliptical Kafkaesque situations. Starting off well, it takes a descending curve over the course of a disjointed structure. This exhausting three-hour trip to the edge of madness stars Joaquin Phoenix as the title character. However, even shifting extraordinarily in attitude from child fragility to adulthood deliriums, he’s powerless in the face of an overstuffed script that serves as a lopsided vehicle for his outstanding acting skills. 

For a film by Ari Aster, who gave us horror gems like Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), it is unspeakably disappointing. It would have been a better horror comedy if it didn’t suffocate in its own ideas. Everything appears to follow a sort of code that needs deciphering, and the systematic metaphors become tiresome as we delve into the real/surreal aspects of a neurotic man whose severe childhood trauma prevents him from finding happiness. Beau tries to reach his mother’s place in time, both before and after her death, but with no success. 

Playing with twisted dimensions and labyrinthine layers, Aster squanders the chance to lead a few good ideas to fruition. The result, much less fascinating than expected, is congested and appalling.