The human resources manager proceeds with the selection of staff for a seaside resort in Turkey.

The initial instructions given concern the relationship with the guests: respond to any request or complaint with politeness and consent, and allow the guests to express their grievances without reacting.

Among the staff to be selected is Ismail, a Turkish young man of 18 years old; in his village, he worked as a hairdresser, and here he will be in the kitchen, hoping to learn how to make soups and aspire to become a sous chef.

Hakan is Kurdish and proposes himself as a lifeguard: passionate about philosophy, he is well acquainted with Schopenhauer and Nietzsche and brings many books with him; he considers himself a sociopath.

The manager's invitation is to place a photo of themselves next to the mirror to observe how much they will have changed by the end of the journey.

Both boys want to learn English, Ismail would like to go to the United States, Hakan doesn't know.

At the beginning, both seem shy and respectful, but while Ismail is confined to the kitchens and has little contact with the guests, Hakan has to deal with the rudeness of tourists who do not respect the rules. He has to ensure that only one person is on the inflatable slide at a time, while the majority break the rules: the problem is that if accidents occur, he and his boss are responsible.

Gradually, amidst plates filled to excess and left full of food, overweight and arrogant guests, colorful bikinis, conversations about the existence of God in their rooms, where some consider Islam the best religion while Hakan questions the existence of God himself, their lives are changing.

To the Russian guests, the philosopher lifeguard asks if they are familiar with Dostoevsky, but no one knows him, so he tries with Pushkin, but here too he receives no response and his initial openness turns into indifference.

Among the guests, there is a prevalence of indulgence, slides, all-inclusive packages, aqua gym, selfies, while Hakan engages with his colleagues in philosophical discussions such as the metaphor of life represented by a 5-story building where nihilism is encountered on the third floor, which must be overcome.

The time for fun is obsessively programmed, but the philosopher lifeguard argues that "even though it moves, it does not feel like living."

Seeing a resort from behind the scenes is the intention of this little low-budget gem, competing internationally at Biografilm 2021.

The tourists do not follow the rules, and they risk their positions.

Hanak does not like this environment, he feels like an automaton, a cog in the system where superficiality and banality reign.

He wants to resign, and at the end of the journey, the human resources manager will ask him if he is ready to come back next year, but he says NO.

How can one trade their own identity for money? Are the guests aware of their own banality? Can one become hegelianly a servant-master of the master-servants?

Or, as Adorno claims, does the entertainment industry that seems to provide consumers with what they desire actually create and invent their desires? It is true that even the time for entertainment, which should be a moment of free creativity, has become something programmed, established in terms of mode and schedule for externally directed individuals who believe they are choosing rather than being chosen...

How much does an all-inclusive resort serve as a metaphor for this?

Hanak will return the following year, but the end justifies the means: saving money to return to studying philosophy and purify oneself through study!

23-Jun-2023 by Beatrice