Saturn Return 2024

Granada, in the 20th century, opens with a man and a woman walking away from a ski slope. The man, Daniel Ibáñez, who performs as the singer, reproaches May for leaving Los Planetas. May begins to tell her side of the story, insisting that her account diverges from his. She recalls it from the perspective of the bassist Chesco Ruiz who played with her, and the memory of the member who eventually left the act. At 27 years old, when the others wanted to release an album, she simply wanted to depart.

The film then shifts to the band’s internal dynamics. The guitarist Cristalino strums a few chords as the two perform on a television show, backed by pre-recorded music, amid the guitarist’s struggles with substances. The group pushes forward as they dream of a third album, asking a reluctant Madrid label to finance a recording in New York City, while they search for a drummer and a bassist to complete the lineup. They manage to recruit the drummer, who mutters about what makes Granada’s musical scene so special, and the bassist’s presence begins to take shape.

As the days unfold, the guitarist’s mind slides between reality and fantasy after a gig, and a casual encounter with May—who has started a university degree—adds another layer to the saga, culminating in a hospital visit with the guitarist’s hands bandaged after a mishap. Even with a full lineup, the band wrestles with tight creative deadlines set by the label, and the guitarist hints that May didn’t leave because of the accident.

A defiant May reappears at the university, and their later terrace conversation reveals unresolved tensions about the future. Following a shared procession, the drummer and the guitarist press the singer about his plans for NYC, while the guitarist’s NYC visions continue to haunt him. To meet the looming deadlines, the guitarist proposes that the three of them withdraw into a secluded space to focus on their work, preparing to showcase tangible progress to the music executives.

The pressure intensifies as the singer is urged to push for a hit, with the blunt suggestion that he might have to leave the guitarist behind if they travel to New York. He reaches out to May to discuss the band’s progress, but he fails to convince her to rejoin the project. Eventually the singer travels to NYC without the guitarist, who has been taken to Madrid by Santa to enter rehab, leaving a memory that refuses to fade.

Haunted by the guitarist’s absence, the singer calls him to propose a reunion in NYC. The two finally meet again in the city, and the band records their third album, Una semana en el motor de un autobús. May receives a compact disc copy of the finished work, marking a bittersweet closure to a chapter defined by conflict, ambition, and the stubborn pull of Granada’s musical heart.