Luxury swimming pools and overheated teenagers trespassing have always gone hand in hand. This time, however, “beware of the dog” hardly suffices: cornered by the water, the youths come face to face with three fearsome beasts. Next door, tradition holds steady — a group of friends from another generation welcomes the arrival of summer. Yet despite the screams and desperate cries for help, no one seems to hear. On the eve of St. John’s Day, everything is bound to turn bizarre.
It’s the eve of Saint John’s Day, and we’re under the scorching blue sky of Mallorca. A group of young people find a deserted mansion, and the heat invites them to take a dip. Everything’s great, were it not for dogs attacking them, preventing them from leaving the pool. They’re trapped in the small symbol of luxury they wanted to dominate, for an afternoon. What kind of dogs are these? To whom do they answer? Far away, a group of wealthy people gather for a party that becomes increasingly grotesque as the day progresses. Ion de Sosa’s film is reminiscent of the films of another Spanish director – Buñuel. This is a social satire about an anesthetized, alienated, and above all, bored high society, intoxicated by privilege and empty status symbols. But retribution can take many forms, and it’s just around the corner. After all, we’re trapped in the belly of a horrible machine, and the machine is bleeding to death. Or that, or in a pool surrounded by rabid dogs. (Bruno Pereira)
