A cop on the run crosses into Uruguay and accidentally finds a new life. That’s the premise of A Loose End, Daniel Hendler’s Venice-selected thriller-comedy that just landed Uruguay’s official submission slot for Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards.

The film follows Santiago, an Argentine cop fleeing his own department. He slips across the border and starts piecing together an unexpected existence, relying on strangers and his own instincts. Along the way, he meets Rocío, a woman who might just be worth staying for. What begins as pure survival twists into something stranger and softer.

Hendler blends road movie, western, and crime film into a story about reinvention and fragile belonging. Sergio Prina anchors it with a magnetic lead performance, joined by Pilar Gamboa. The film premiered in Venice Spotlight and won the WIP LATAM Industry Award at San Sebastián.

Hendler is known for acting (he won a Silver Bear at Berlin) and directing sharp, human stories like The Candidate and Norberto’s Deadline. A Loose End continues that streak, offering indie filmmakers a model for genre-bending character work on a border where identity is negotiable and second chances come with no guarantees.