Esteban Martínez, a two-time Oscar-winning director who traded Spain for Hollywood, returns to his homeland for his latest project. For the lead role, he casts Emilia—his estranged, illegitimate daughter whom he has hidden from the public eye for years like a dark secret. Set to be shot in a desert landscape, this large-scale period film initially looks like an opportunity for father and daughter to reconnect. Instead, the rigid hierarchies, power dynamics, and intense stress of the film set unearth Esteban’s latent tendency toward violence, alongside the deep-seated traumas and resentments Emilia has never truly overcome.

In a narrative where the obsession with filmmaking intertwines with a desperate desire for love and forgiveness, director Rodrigo Sorogoyen delivers a searing look behind the scenes of cinema. As Esteban fights to maintain control as both a father and an auteur, the dark underbelly of the ‘genius director’ myth is exposed, blurring the line between personal life and professional authority.