Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Ariel Winograd, Netflix’s ‘A Time For Bravery,’ originally titled ‘La Hora De Los Valientes,’ tells the story of an unlikely partnership between a psychoanalyst named Mariano Silverstein and a police officer named Diaz, as they outsmart an entire intelligence network in their pursuit of justice. While Diaz is among the most talented cops of his generation, he is presently down in the dumps, seemingly due to his partner’s infidelity. To resolve this problem, his superiors assigned him a psychotherapist who is currently doing community service to regain his license. This unlikely duo is supposed to patrol the streets and ask around a few questions; instead, they end up fighting a national conspiracy.
As the story progresses, Silverstein realizes that there is much more to the job than meets the eye, and with several nefarious elements working from inside the system, he has no choice but to adapt to his new life of violence and cunning. To that end, this Mexican comedy movie blends therapy with action, and the protagonist duo finds a release in both. SPOILERS AHEAD.
A Time For Bravery Plot Synopsis
‘A Time For Bravery’ opens with the cold-blooded murder of two men who seem to be working for a high-profile crime syndicate. The following day, a missing persons report for the two men reaches the police, and the commissioner assigns Diaz, his most talented officer, to the case. However, Diaz isn’t at his best lately, largely due to his recent discovery of his wife’s infidelity. To prevent this from affecting his investigative prowess, the commissioner decides to bring in a psychoanalyst for occupational therapy. Enter Mariano Silverstein, a famous psychoanalyst who has lost his license due to his involvement in a car accident. Currently doing community service, he has no option but to accept the job and become Diaz’s partner for a short while.
Silverstein and Diaz have a relatively smooth ride, with the former unwrapping the latter’s psychological troubles in detail. However, things take a surprise turn when Silverstein invites the police officer for dinner, Diaz immediately suspects Diana, Silverstein’s partner, of infidelity. When Diaz nearly brings his gun into the conversation, Diana admits that he is right, and Silverstein is left distraught. With that, the two men head out for the night, living in a motel, before resuming investigations the following day. Diaz believes that the two men were using stolen vehicles, and soon nabs the thief, forcing him to reveal the name of his contractor. The man, Sosa, turns out to be an undercover intelligence agent himself, and in the chaos, both Silverstein and Diaz are brought to the bureau.
Here, the syndicate leader from the start of the movie is revealed to be Gerardo Solares, who is also a high-profile agent in the bureau. After quickly concocting lies about Diaz’s involvement in crimes, he sends Silverstein away and proceeds to torture Diaz in the restricted chambers. Solares, who owns the fake transportation company known as Camarasa, has plans to steal uranium from the national reserve and sell it on the black market. While he sends an officer named Barrera to quietly dispose of Silverstein, the plan backfires. The latter gets to the bottom of the truth, sneaking his way into the bureau and then climbing through windows to confront Solares. However, he is immediately captured and joins Diaz, setting the stage for a final showdown.
A Time For Bravery Ending: Will Silverstein Quit Psychiatry? Does Diaz Join the Agency?
At the end of ‘A Time For Bravery,’ Silverstein and Diaz win against Solares and decide to join an international security agency, potentially leaving their existing careers behind. For Diaz, it means leaving the police force and putting his talents to use on a global level. For Silverstein, however, things are far more complicated, as he is completely new to the world of guns, espionage, and high-profile intelligence. Still, his intelligence, coupled with his sheer tenacity, makes him a perfect fit for this job, and even international scouts recognize this. While we are never given an explicit answer, Silverstein indicates a real interest in learning combat and the finer crafts of the security world. Above all, this means a continued partnership with his new best friend, Diaz, making the offer even more lucrative.
While Diaz recovers from his emotional trauma regarding his wife’s infidelity early on, his dynamic with Silverstein is built on stronger foundations. Above all, they have a shared passion for justice and refuse to bend the knee when it comes to doing the right thing. This also means saving each other’s lives in times of need, and while Silverstein does so on a literal level, Diaz’s input is more symbolic. From the start, we have seen Silverstein describe his job poorly, as while he is passionate about others, he does not get any work-life balance as a psychoanalyst, and that actively undercuts the quality of his life. On the flip side, pretending to be a cop and sneaking into an intelligence facility is perhaps the most thrilling he has ever felt, and a job in international security also promises to preserve and nurture that feeling.
However, there is also a comedic angle to Silverstein’s joining prospects, as the scouts, after hearing of his valorous endeavors, almost suspect him of being a spy from a different nation. Interestingly enough, even Diaz has his doubts about this, alongside Silverstein’s own partner, Diana. Given that the former psychiatrist seemingly masters martial arts and gun firing in quick succession, and also brings down an intelligence giant like Solares to his knees, the suspicion isn’t completely unfounded. However, in the end, Silverstein confirms that he is not a spy, but also adds that this can change in the future. This indirectly confirms that he will be joining the security agency, even if that means diving headfirst into a completely new lifestyle. Still, with Diaz by his side, he likely has many new adventures ahead.
Is Solares Arrested? What Happens to the Uranium?
While ‘A Time For Bravery’ ends with Silverstein and Diaz gaining the upper hand over Solares, the victory itself is hard-fought. Although Silverstein and Diaz’s fates initially seem sealed, the arrival of Diaz’s colleagues changes the game. Ultimately, this turns into a battle between the honest police forces and the corrupt intelligence network officials. The former have the advantage in their preparedness, and Sosa and company hardly know what they are hit with before they end up losing. This is most apparent in the case of Solares, who essentially becomes a captive for the entire ending saga. While Diaz and company enter the uranium chambers, Silverstein is tasked with keeping watch over Solares, and their subtle dynamic comes out into the open.
On some level, Silverstein and Solares represent the opposite ends of the spectrum, as while one is barely getting familiarized with criminal justice, the other ranks around the top of the system and is at the source of its corruption. Their final exchange is fittingly one of words, where Solares desperately tries to get Silverstein on his side. First, he uses brute force, threatening to ruin the ex-psychoanalyst’s life with his connections. When that doesn’t pan out, Solares tries to coax him into becoming powerful. However, neither strategies work, as Silverstein has a very unique perspective on justice, one that almost naively strives for kindness in the face of malice.
It is precisely Silverstein’s innate goodness that convinces Diaz that he is built for intelligence work, as in a sea of dark, corrupt forces, Silverstein can stand out as a bright, empathetic figure. However, that doesn’t mean that he has no flair for action, as we see when Solares’ team briefly breaks free of Diaz’s control and escapes with the truck containing uranium. With no way of catching up with a truck, Diaz asks Silverstein to shoot it down, knowing the risk of leaking the uranium or worse, triggering an explosion. In a surprise move, Silverstein turns out to be a crackshot this time around and disables the truck without killing the driver or harming the uranium. In the end, Solares is arrested, and with that, a major player in the illegal arms trade comes down.
Are Agent Sosa and Barrera Dead? What Happens to the Special Affairs Division?
Although Solares is arrested, he is just one man in a much larger system of corruption, of which many, including Diaz’s own supervisor, are part. To that end, the final clash also comes down to Agent Sosa, who is the muscle of the illegal trading operation. Initially, he is tasked with getting the uranium in the box, but is cornered by Ugarte, one of Diaz’s colleagues. Still, things quickly turn to his favour, as he manages to knock the gun out of Ugarte’s hand and shoot him in the shoulder. Before he can land the finishing blow, however, Diaz lands a clean hit on Sosa, killing him instantly. This scene works on two levels, as not only does it pay off Diaz’s marksmanship showcase earlier in the episode, but it also brings closure to his dynamic with Sosa, which has been a particularly torturous one.
With Sosa dead, only one major loose end remains in Solares’ crime syndicate, that being Barrera. Tasked with killing Silverstein, he is the first to be shocked by the latter’s change of heart and physical prowess. Barrera is defeated almost instantly, gagged, tied up, and then stuffed into a car. While Silverstein plans to keep Barrera there until he can alert the law authorities safely, the plan soon spirals out of his control. In a comedic scene, we learn that the car in which Barrera was stuffed has been towed away due to being parked in an illegal spot. As he is still inside and likely suffocating, this adds a comedic but also grim ambiguity to his fate. However, it is more likely that he is caught sometime later and arrested as an accomplice in the uranium theft case.
As Solares is introduced as the leader of the Special Affairs Division, it is safe to say that the entire branch was likely involved in the corrupt syndicate. In the same vein, Solares’ arrest spells the division’s collapse, with the intelligence bureau likely beginning a full investigation into its systems. This is confirmed by the arrival of a high-level officer, who praises Diaz and his team instead of punishing them for insubordination. As such, not only do Silverstein, Diaz, and company survive, but they play an active role in bettering the system. While Silverstein’s decision to join the new agency is still somewhat up in the air, Diaz is already prepared to overhaul criminal justice from the ground up, which serves as the perfect conclusion to his arc.
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