A black comedy that shows two sides of a certain section of the Argentinian upper class. On
the surface they are stylish and sophisticated, but behind this veneer lies a selfserving
callousness, as they push their way to the top of the pile.
As the story begins we meet Federal Judge Alberto Franccioni (Dario Levi) whose sick daughter
is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. But before he can leave for Florida for the operation
there are some other matters that need to be taken care of. For one, there’s a member of staff
who’s stolen his favourite Serrano ham. Not to mention his blackmailing ex and his sister who
has run off with the kids’ music teacher. Of course he deals with all of this with aplomb, as any
mafia boss would. For the Tony Soprano of Argentina a bit of panache goes a long way,
especially with a pinch of violence for good measure.
Labia is a darkly humorous film that is held together by an extraordinary central performance by
Levi, whose general demeanor as he tries to sniff out his enemies as they scurry off at the very
sight of him is wildly entertaining.
David Desmond
Audi Dublin International Film Festival