Set in the early 2010s, this gripping thriller by director Andrés Baiz (Griselda, Narcos) takes place in the treacherous desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, where gasoline smugglers or pimpineros risk their lives transporting illegal fuel.

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Centrepiece

Pimpinero: Blood and Oil

Andrés Baiz

Set in the early 2010s, this gripping thriller by director Andrés Baiz — who has helmed shows including Griselda and Narcos — takes place in the treacherous desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, where gasoline smugglers known as pimpineros risk their lives transporting illegal fuel from one country to another.

Colombian music icon Juanes plays Moisés, the eldest of three brothers plying this perilous trade and the linchpin of the operation, while Alberto Guerra delivers a compelling performance as Ulises, a man paralyzed by conflicting decisions and haunted by fear and grief. When Juan (Alejandro Speitzer) — the youngest of the brothers — is coerced into working for a more powerful, rival criminal organization, the shocking underbelly of the business is laid bare and there are tragic consequences.

Corruption, betrayal, and greed rule the day. Still, Juan’s girlfriend, the charismatic Diana (Laura Osma, El Chapo, This Time Tomorrow, in a star turn) — who wanted to be a pimpinera herself — embarks on a dangerous quest for the truth, putting herself in the crosshairs while remaining determined to uncover the dark secrets that shroud this unforgiving no man’s land.

DIANA CADAVID

Content advisory: violence, mature themes, coarse language

Screenings

Mon Sep 09

TIFF Lightbox 2

Regular
Tue Sep 10

Scotiabank 10

P & I
Tue Sep 10

Scotiabank 4

Regular