Extraordinary Stories 2008

X, Mariano Llinás arrives in the city of Azul for work and immediately witnesses a brutal incident that ends in a man’s death. The victim, moments before dying, clutches a briefcase that X seizes. In a haze of fear and doubt, X fires his weapon and then hides in his hotel room, Room 301 at the Grand Hotel Azul, choosing to stay out of sight rather than risk being drawn further into the investigation.

From his room, X tunes in to the city’s radio and newspapers for updates, learning that the victim is Orlando Rey, a prison guard. The shock of the event unsettles him, and he wonders what the strange cargo—the briefcase—might mean, all while questioning his own role in what just happened.

Meanwhile, in the police investigation, one attacker, Salvador Armas, Leandro Ibarra is found dead, while the other, Carlos Armas, remains at large as officers search for the missing briefcase. The discovery of Salvador Armas’s body threads the case into a broader web of secrets and possible motives, leaving X to wonder how he fits into a puzzle that already feels bigger than a single encounter.

Z, Walter Jakob, enters an office named “La Federación” and takes over Cuevas, Fernando Llosa’s role. His daily routine includes monthly car trips through the countryside to supervise agricultural inspections, a rhythm that slowly reveals the quiet reach of the organization he’s now part of. He moves into Cuevas’ studio apartment and, while there, uncovers a coded notebook and a map tucked away in Cuevas’ car, unexpected clues that hint at a life hidden beneath the public face of the work.

The investigation reveals that Cuevas had hidden facets to his life, using names like Krueger and keeping files that don’t quite fit the official narrative. The more Z digs, the more the surface of the city seems to tilt, suggesting that the public projects and private intrigues are intertwined in ways that blur truth and intention.

At the Sol de Mayo Association, friends gather monthly to propose fresh city development projects. Yáñez, Marcelo Mariño, suggests diverting the Salado River to create new cargo routes, a plan met with skepticism by Bagnasco (as voiced by Julio Citarella). The talk is practical and ambitious, yet caution and doubt linger in the room, hinting at the difficulty of turning big ideas into reality.

Factorovich, Eduardo Iacono, challenges Bagnasco, supported by Fava’s account of a past abandoned project, recounted by Jorge Ricaldoni. The debate becomes a test of memory and feasibility, with the group weighing what once looked possible against what might still be achievable today.

To document or prove feasibility, they hire H, Agustín Mendilaharzu, to photograph a series of monoliths that would supposedly support the old plan. The journey to the site is itself a cautious expedition, one that reveals the terrain’s emptiness as well as its potential for a grander purpose. Along the way, H uncovers that the monoliths have been destroyed and that there is evidence of recent human presence during the journey, hinting at ongoing activity in the area that contradicts the idea of a purely historical project.

Taken together, these strands sketch a patient, multi-layered portrait of Azul: a city where personal anxieties, political ambitions, and corporate machinations coexist, each thread pulling at the others and shaping a larger, elusive truth. The film invites careful listening and observation, letting the quiet moments and procedural details accumulate into a mood of ambiguity rather than decisive conclusions.