El árido verano

This is a tense, strong drama, although perhaps not for the squeamish. The photography is artistically done, on the other hand the looping is typical 60s; that is, artificial. Evocative use is made of the santur, a Turkish string instrument like a cimbalom. A completely different kind of music accompanies fights and scenes of violence. Then we switch to avant garde atonal riffs; here the instruments are Western. The camera is almost always close to the action, helping to create a sense of claustrophobia. The dialog is sparse; the director preferring to rely on meaningful glances. There are no snappy one-liners. Most of the film is easily understood without even looking at the subtitles. There are some particularly memorable, even disturbing images near the end. The title might be better translated as "Thirsty Summer," suggesting as it does the rapacity driving the main character.