The film tells the story of José Molina (Antonio Iranzo), a bricklayer in Lloret de Mar, beginning his hard day very early in the morning in a tourist town on the Costa Brava, specifically in an apartment block by the beach. All the workers are Andalusian, except for one who is Portuguese (Carlos Otero), while a Catalan is the foreman in charge, who, incidentally, will pay them on weekends. At the same time, in an Andalusian town, Guadix (Granada), his wife Juana (Marta May), their two children, and his brother-in-law begin the long journey to join him and seek a better future. During the time José has been alone in Lloret de Mar, he has begun to discover, thanks to tourism, a different kind of life, personified by a Belgian tourist, whom they spy on from the construction site where they work from dawn to dusk. It also describes how José spends a night with a French woman (Silvia Solar), and because of her, he is late to meet his family at the bus station where the long and uncomfortable journey ends. Eventually, the story focuses on the character of Manolo, his brother and brother-in-law, respectively, fascinated by the bikini-clad women around him, with whom history will repeat itself.
The film's main interest lies in its being one of the few Spanish films of the 1960s featuring workers, and more specifically in its addressing of the problem of the charnegos, the Andalusian workers from Catalonia, who were already suffering considerable marginalization and contempt at the time. The film is effectively developed, with incisive critical jabs, characterized by a narrative elementality that lends great strength to its results. The unusual thing about the film is that, in addition to the narration of the long journey on a third-class train, it includes an encounter with a Republican who fought in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and that Catalan is occasionally spoken. For all these reasons, and some novel incidents that accidentally emerge, including a sexual encounter between a father and a French tourist, it ran into trouble with Franco's strict censorship. As a result of all these events, it failed miserably at the Spanish box office. The actors' performances are quite good, with special mention to the main character, Antonio Iranzo, who perfectly plays the role of the working-class father, in search of work and romance. He is joined by the long-suffering and deceived wife, well played by the Cantabrian Marta May, who, incidentally, married the Catalan director Josep María Forn. A notable supporting actor is Carlos Otero, an unknown and forgotten actor who had a prestigious career, starring in several films as the lead actor.
The film features atmospheric and evocative cinematography by cameraman Ricardo Albiñana, shot in various locations. The film also features an atmospheric and engaging musical score by Federico Martínez Tudó. The film was convincingly directed by Josep Maria Forn, with a good pace, displaying a kind of social neo-realism. However, it was a complete box office failure, but not a critical failure. It was scorned and unjustly forgotten, but is now highly regarded. Forn creates a fluid film full of drama, Catalan customs, and social relationships on a medium-sized, yet sufficient, budget. Director and writer Joseph María Forn had a prosperous and long career in film, with both successes and failures. Thus, after the failure of "Muerte al Atardecer" (1959), Forn tried and succeeded in founding his own production company, "Teide," and made his own feature films at his own expense and risk. Josep Maria Forn made some genre films, such as the film noir The Guilty (1962). Forn was a good screenwriter and director, known for «Death Penalty?», 1961 The Private Life of So-and-So, 1960 The Green Frog, 1963 José María, The Boat Without a Fisherman, 1963 The Route of Narcotics, Companys, Trial of Catalonia (1979), Subjudice (1998) and Colonel Macià (2006), among others. Score The Burnt Skin (1967): 7/10.
