Relocating Bola\u00f1o’s story from the Spanish coast to a Chilean beach town in 1989,\u00a0\u201cSummer War\u201d<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0unfolds against the backdrop of a country caught between dictatorship of Pinochet and democracy. By moving the story from Spain to Chile, Scherson gives Bola\u00f1o’s novel a new context. The backdrop of a country on the verge of political change adds an extra layer of tension and uncertainty, while also bringing Bola\u00f1o’s work back to the country that shaped both the writer and the director.<\/p>\n At the heart of the film is Udo Berger (Dan Beirne), a young American and obsessive war-game champion spending the summer with his girlfriend Ingrid (Lux Pascal). Although the couple appears happy at first, tensions soon begin to emerge. As Udo becomes increasingly absorbed by the people around him, his relationships grow more complicated. Jealousy, attraction and distrust slowly take hold, turning what seems like an ordinary holiday into something far more unsettling after an Argentinian friend disappears.<\/p>\n Udo is not a sympathetic character. Emotionally detached, he moves through the Chilean place with a quiet sense of privilege and control. Scherson subtly presents him as a figure of colonial power, someone who wants to dominate both the game and the world around him. Yet the character never fully convinces. Dan Beirne appears somewhat miscast, lacking the charisma and mystery needed to make Udo’s hold over those around him believable. In many scenes, the dialogue also feels oddly theatrical, as if some actors are reading directly from the script. As a result, Udo comes across as more stiff than enigmatic, making it difficult to understand why several women in the film are drawn to him.<\/p>\n<\/ins>\n What the film lacks in convincing performances, it largely makes up for in atmosphere. Scherson and her cinematographer Alejo Maglio beautifully capture the Chilean coastline, bathing the film in warm colors and a quiet sense of unease. The period details are equally impressive. From green telephones and brown lamps to the clothing, interiors and ever-present cassette tapes, \u201cSummer War\u201d<\/strong> recreates the late 1980s with remarkable authenticity. The use of the song “The Safety Dance”<\/strong> by Men Without Hats further reinforces the era, helping to ground the story in a specific time and place rather than mere nostalgia. Scherson also weaves in archival footage, particularly from World War II, which blends seamlessly into the narrative.<\/p>\n \u00a9Courtesy of Tribeca Festival<\/p>\n Scherson further develops the film’s colonial themes through an Indigenous beach vendor, El Quemado (David Gaete) with severe burns on his face. When asked who caused his injuries, he simply replies, \u201cNobody,\u201d a striking answer that suggests silence, erasure and unresolved violence. At the same time, his uneasy relationship with Udo becomes one of the film’s central tensions, gradually blurring the line between rivalry and fascination. The film also draws attention to a hotel mural of Atahualpa, the 13th and last sovereign emperor of the Inca Empire, who according to legend learned chess by watching his captors play. The connection is hard to miss. Like Atahualpa, the Indigenous vendor exists outside the centers of power, yet he eventually sits down to play Udo’s beloved war game. In these moments, Scherson subtly links the personal rivalry between the two men to a longer history of colonial domination and resistance.<\/p>\n The film also touches on masculinity and patriarchal violence. One of its most telling moments comes after an Argentine man assaults his girlfriend. The female hotel owner responds with a chilling sense of resignation: \u201cMen have been hitting since the beginning of time. Especially women. But don\u2019t worry. Everything goes back to normal. After war, peace. Then war again.\u201d The line echoes the film’s broader themes, suggesting that violence is not an exception but part of a cycle that repeats itself across both personal relationships and history. In this world, domination and control are not limited to war games, but shape the way men relate to women and to one another.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Summer-War1-1024x572.png\")
<\/p>\n