A story about human will and choice
I’ve read the interpretations relating to class, but I personally interpreted this as being an allegory for people who are in a cycle of meandering through life, maybe indulging in hedonism and failing to gather up the motivation to move forward to create a healthy, self-sustaining lifestyle. This inert, dependent lifestyle leads to suffering and desperation. The dialogue throughout is dripping in this theme. The house guests want to leave the salon, but we don’t actually see anyone try to leave. When they later make plans to leave, they make excuses for why they can’t. They act like crabs in a bucket and squander suggestions and opportunities to improve their situation.
Some examples that support this theory:
-The scene we see twice of the guests arriving and some lines that are delivered twice could represent a repetitive cycle.
-People blame the home owner for their situation instead of taking responsibility for accepting the invitation. Another failure to take personal responsibility is towards the end when people are angry at the doctor who calls out their bad behavior and a man threatens him by saying something like, “I won’t be responsible after I get my hands on you.”
-The home owner suggests they all come together to try to leave and later suggests they try to make the best of their situation by being civil to each other. Both times, he is met with a hostile reaction. You can’t help people who won’t help themselves.
-The only suggestions that people aren’t hostile to is turning to alcohol and pills.
-People request that Blanca continue playing piano, but she refuses because of the hour. Someone replies something to the effect of it being the prime time of the night. This could be a metaphor for people who squander their talent in the prime of their life. This is also the last interaction shown when they recreate the first night before finally breaking free.
-A woman says that she is dying of thirst, but refuses the water offered to her because it tastes a little funny. Again, squandered opportunity to help oneself.
-Three women are chatting and one of them tells about once being on a train that went off the tracks. The two others reply something to the effect of “You once went off the tracks?” then “you should see yourself in the mirror.” This is saying to engage in self-reflection.
-Relating to the last point, a woman is combing her hair in the mirror and the brother and sister angrily stop her and break her brush. They stop someone who is trying to move forward by looking at herself honestly. Misery loves company.
-Twice, someone mentions what a mess they are and someone else says something like “the disheveled look suits you”. This references enablers.
-There are multiple instances of house guests hoping for divine intervention or engaging in pagan rituals to change their situation rather than putting in real effort.
-A man says that Blanca smells like a hyena and that they’re living like pigs and a man states that they don’t bring it up out of dignity. The other house guests refuse to face reality.
-People outside the house tried to reach the house guests, but can’t because they don’t want to be reached.
-Guests dream of things toward the end that motivate them to turn their situation around. A woman dreams of caring for her son. A man is inspired by the powerful ‘warrior’ Pope.
-I may be wrong on this point, but I think it may have been Leticia that we see looking in the mirror (and no one stops her) and she is seen putting on lipstick (sprucing herself up) during the aforementioned ‘hyena’ scene and others around her are looking disheveled. It’s eventually her that gives the speech at the end and figures out that they need to recreate the first night (get a fresh start or ‘do-over’). She leads the way out of the house to freedom.
More broadly, the film could be about several factors in lack of motivation. I mentioned hedonism and lack of personal responsibility, but it could also reference depression I.e the couple that committed suicide. There’s also Julio who is shown as childlike and maybe refuses to grow up. Unlike the other servants, he stayed and is obedient. He’s also seen eating paper and mentions that he used to do it in school.
Anyone else interpret the film this way?