‘Saturn Return’ Director Isaki Lacuesta Discusses the Rock ‘n’ Roll Myth of Los Planetas, ’90s Aesthetics, Ambitious Flamenco Project
variety.comEd Meza @edmezavar Isaki Lacuesta has returned to the Malaga Film Festival with his highly anticipated rock band drama “Saturn Return” (“Segundo Premio”), a fabled account of iconic Spanish group Los Planetas and their struggle to make their legendary third album,“Una semana en un motor de un autobús.” The film, which the award-winning filmmaker directed with Pol Rodríguez and wrote with Fernando Navarro, stars Daniel Ibáñez, Stéphanie Magnin and musician-turned-actor Cristalino. “Saturn Returns” screened in competition in Malaga, where Lacuesta and Isa Campo, double San Sebastian Golden Shell winners, won the best director Silver Biznaga for their 2016 mystery drama “The Next Skin.” Speaking to Variety, Lacuesta explains how the film is not about Los Planetas but rather about the legend of the band and the mystique they themselves have cultivated over the years.
Indeed, the story of “Saturn Return” is largely based on the band’s songs. “It is not a journalistic documentary,” he stresses. “And I liked being able to play with different points of view because it is something that Los Planetas have done throughout their career and their discography.
They have always fostered legend about themselves. The lyrics of the songs have often led us to believe that they have done things that are not true.
And there’s this sort of mystery about Los Planetas. “So it seemed to me that it was a form that was appropriate for the film and that gave us a lot of play in their real story. … We also had fun being able to play with form and content.
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