The scenario for the first segment: the balnearios = seaside spas on the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires Province. The movie opens with shots of beaches, first in the 1950s, then in the summer 2000-2001. We watch the vacationers doing the usual; walking in family groups to the beach, finding a suitable place among the crowd, sticking large umbrellas in the sand, lying in sun or shade doing nothing except occasional light reading, entering and leaving the ocean (mostly to wading depth), helping small kids wet their feet, letting the other kids run wild, playing games that involve throwing things. Then we watch the night scene; people parading down brightly lit streets, playing electronic games, meeting other people, looking for dinner places. The ever present narrator narrates with a sort of clinical detachment (and a dry sense of humor) as if we were watching the alien rituals of some mysterious tribe. Near the beaches we see derelict buildings that used to be palaces in the halcyon days of the early 20th century. One of these, a long abandoned hotel, has a sinister history, narrated (and somewhat embellished) in black and white, with many still shots. Finally, we glimpse the towns in winter, largely deserted.
The next segment is on lakeside spas, in particular Miramar, fronting Laguna Mar Chiquita = Lake Small Sea, a vast expanse of water in Cordoba Province. Miramar was a flourishing spa and tourist attraction until it was partially submerged in 1977 by the rising lake's waters.
The third segment is on spas near rivers or artificial lakes created by dams. There are no beaches to speak of: only rocks and concrete forming pools, some of which allow diving and swimming. The scenario is Villa Mercedes, in San Luis Province and the story is centered on a local character, César Zucco, who (at least in his movie version) is a man about town, member of civic societies, master of barbecues and noted cook who dabbles in philosophy, music, poetry and naïf painting, produces monstrous sculptures (actually sheet aluminum cutouts mounted on poles) and has strange, almost mystical ideas about spas.
The film concludes with a young woman having a joyful swim off a deserted beach. Music includes some beautiful numbers by jazz greats Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. Crazy credits: the director dedicates his movie to El Gaucho Gil, who may or may not be the same as El Gauchito Gil, a folk hero and saint/healer not recognized by the Vatican but venerated by many in Argentina.
