Sweet Violence (Dulce Violencia)

A creepier and more unsettling start to a film there may be but in Jeremias Segovia’s Sweet Violence, Mondato (Federico Guerra) is on the money as he chats to a child fishing, then cuts the fishing line, when he gets a bite, which sends the boy packing scared out of his wits.

Based on a true story a family plan to kill the man convicted of killing their daughter 23 years ago. The killer has always said he was guilty though he was convicted of two other murders too.

Around a game of cards, the men plot to hire a killer. They have a man for the job travelling down from Argentina. A professional who will get the job done albeit at a price the others aren’t happy with. Regardless the deal has been struck.

For Esteban (Esteban Bigliardi) life outside begins in a menial job in a kitchen from where he can at least go back to the family flat. That has long been empty with his parents having gone into a home. His father is dead and his mother so upset at seeing him he’s asked to leave.

A botched attack on Esteban warns him and also reminds the contractors that the path they have chosen is not straightforward. This becomes abundantly clear when one of the men tries to renegotiate the deal with the professional Mondato.

This a brilliant debut feature from Segovia, written by Juan Martín Alonso. Developing several strands of the story while sustaining the doubts/suspicions as to whether Esteban really is the killer is complex and Segovia carries this off brilliantly. The complexity of thoughts and actions could have been jarring but with deft camera work the film flows with nary a jolt.

Segovia is helped no end by an at times bleakly comic script and marvellous performances from the entire cast. Here Guerra stands out as the cool as you like highly intelligent Mondato whom the contractors patronisingly underestimate. Exemplified in a scene between him and Oscar in his shop.

Midway the film practically restarts as a result of a predictable overreach. The need to satisfy either revenge, curiosity or just a plain blood lust has to be sated by the men left.

Sweet Violence had its UK premiere at Tubi FrightFest London, August 2026.