Death Has No Master
Jorge Thielen Armand‘s Fantastic Fest 2026 feature, Death Has No Master, stars Asia Argento as Caro, a woman who returns to Venezuela to sell her father’s cacao farm, only to discover former staff have moved in and refuse to leave. Caro carries obvious signs of unresolved trauma. You can see it in her physical presence and hear it in her voice. Being in the house is unbearable, but the town and societal rules have changed since she was a child, and her uphill battle to claim her inheritance and reclaim her sanity seems impossible.
Luis Armando Arteaga’s cinematography makes the film look timeless. The locations are stunning. The combination of Vittorio Giampietro’s music the entire sound editing burrows under your skin.
Dogreika Tovar gives Sonia a bitterness that feels earned, putting the audience squarely in a morally grey position. Arturo Rodriguez gives Yoni a dazzling, enigmatic energy. He is almost a gateway between past, present, and future. Asia Argento‘s Caro teems with fear and anger. A performance that must be witnessed. It is mesmerizing.
Jorge Thielen Armand utilizes quick flashes of memory to suggest despair, but it is not until the film’s final act that we fully understand the chokehold this house, this land, and this country have on Caro’s entire existence. Time and memory blur, and the madness is unrelenting. Death Has No Master is an examination of power, trauma, and class. It is dark and haunting in a way that feels physically heavy. It is a complex and unsettling film.
Showings :Fri, Sep 18th, 5:30 PM @ Theater 7Wed, Sep 23rd, 11:00 AM @ Theater 1Wed, Sep 23rd, 11:00 AM @ Theater 2Wed, Sep 23rd, 11:00 AM @ Theater 4
Year:2026
Runtime:106 minutes
Language:Spanish
Country:Venezuela, Canada, Italy, Luxembourg
Premiere:North American Premiere
Director:Jorge Thielen Armand
Theater 1September 23, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:51 PM CDT
Portal To Hell
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Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
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SXSW 2026 Watchlist
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