88
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistJoe BlessingThe PlaylistJoe BlessingAzor itself is a code word meaning “to not say too much” or “to keep one’s cards close,” a trait that the film and its protagonist so excel at, viewers will be kept guessing until the last moment.
- 100The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisWritten and directed by Andreas Fontana, making a formally precise, tonally perfect feature debut, Azor is a low-key shocker.
- 100The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawPure evil is all around in this unnervingly subtle, sophisticated movie; an eerie oppression in the air.
- 90VarietyJay WeissbergVarietyJay WeissbergLike the intelligent performances — both Rongione and Cléau are standouts — and the terrific art direction, the film’s design reinforces an exquisite, levelheaded decorum about to be smashed by a chillingly cruel monster.
- 88RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzSet in Argentina in 1980, Azor is a quiet, unhurried, un-flashy film, and that's what makes it unnerving. You come away from it feeling that you've been given a greater understanding of how authoritarian power-grabs happen.
- 80The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneAzor is Fontana’s first feature, and what’s impressive is how coolly he avoids the temptation to put on a big show, preferring more delicate tactics.
- 80Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleTo the less patient viewer, the lack of clarity on the finer points of high finance and characters’ backgrounds and not getting period-orienting news updates about the political situation, might seem confounding. But Azor works without them, because those details would only disrupt the artfully portentous chill Fontana gets from the pitch-perfect performances and design, and Gabriel Sandru’s cinematography.
- 75Slant MagazineKeith WatsonSlant MagazineKeith WatsonWith its elegantly restrained cinematography, exquisitely understated performances, and quietly sumptuous production design, Azor embodies the same well-mannered urbanity as its protagonist.
- 67IndieWireSiddhant AdlakhaIndieWireSiddhant AdlakhaThe film seldom wavers from its singular idea and feeling; tonally, it’s a stroll across a plateau by design, but it teeters constantly over that plateau’s edge.