While going on tour seems like fun, it can be a bit of nightmare for a struggling band. Every turn can be the last for a high mileage van. There’s a fear of the engine blowing in the middle of nowhere with zero bars on the cellphone for calling AAA’s towing service. There’s always an issue with getting promoters to pay up after a gig. Every time your credit card get swiped you hold your breath that it doesn’t get declined. Every affordable hotel looked better when you booked them online. Who knows what diseases you might pick up from your latest number one fan or that cheap diner that was your only option at 4 a.m. What The Waters Left Behind: Scars gives us another nightmare when a band hits the road in Argentina.
The Ravens are on tour in their camper van. The American power trio aren’t quite being treated like rock stars at remote nightclubs. They were hoping for more than paltry number at their latest stop. But drummer Billy Bob (Matías Desiderio) feels like a rock star when a scantily clad Carla (Magui Bravi) hooks up with him. She needs a ride back to her place and promises the band an amazing BBQ dinner made by her grandfather if they give her a lift. The other band members are a bit amazed that Carla lives near Epecuén, a resort that had been submerged for 25 years under a lake. It’s a site to behold until they meet Carla’s family members. Turns out that this might be the end of the tour and the BBQ dinner is barbecued Raven.
Epecuén is a real tourist village that was flooded by a salt lake in 1985 and didn’t reappear until 25 years. You can visit it for real if you’re down in Buenos Aires. The film is a sequel to 2017’s What the Waters Left Behind. The original was about a documentary film crew arriving in Epecuén to film the remains only to find out they’re not alone. You don’t need to see the first film to enjoy the beauty and shock of What The Waters Left Behind: Scars.
The movie is visually stunning and disturbing. Director Nicolas Onetti and Director of Photography Luciano Montes de Oca makes you want to admire the scenes that are also wanting to make you close your eyes. The gory special effects work since the actors playing the band members fully express pain and the family members give off a sadistic glee. We also catch glimpses of struggles within the creepy family that hint that someone in the band might be able to flee from this nightmarish end of the tour after party. What The Waters Left Behind: Scars will make you want to stick to just uploading your music on Soundcloud and forget about the clubs.
The video is 1.85: 1 anamorphic. The transfer brings out the haunting beauty of Epecuen and the nastiness of the more horrific moments. The Audio is 5.1 DTS-HD MA and 2.0 Stereo. The mix will make you feel trapped with the family. The film has English subtitles.
Slideshow (2:40) has press photos.
Trailer (1:55) shows a trip that’s gone to Hell.
Cleopatra Entertainment presents What The Water Left Behind: Scars. Directed by Nicolas Onetti. Screenplay by Camilo Zaffora. Starring Agustin Olcese, Clara Kovacic, Magui Bravi, Maria Eugenia Rigon, Matías Desiderio, Juan Pablo Bishel & Germán Baudino. Running Time: 85 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: July 11, 2023.
