Salomé

The film opens as a documentary, with the director outlining the scope of the project and how the show will be built from the ground up. He summarizes Salome's story and explains his purpose: to explore Salomé's attraction to John the Baptist and the revenge that follows. We see early planning sessions and an intent to film the working process.

We meet the core crew—the musician, the score composer, the set designer, the choreographer, and the costume designer—who begin to shape the production. The film follows their creative conversations, sketching ideas, and testing movements. The troupe's cohesion and shared vision start to take form.

Salomé, King Herod Antipas, John the Baptist, and Herodias are introduced as the central dancers and narrators. Each recounts their beginnings as dancers in childhood, including Salomé's battle with scoliosis and her rise to director of the Spanish National Ballet. John speaks of emigrating from Cuba, while Herod and Herodias confront parental resistance to their careers.

The troupe starts rehearsing the stage adaptation, translating biblical drama into ballet gesture and movement. The camera follows dancers through routines, cues, and small tensions that surface in performance. The director monitors progress, pushing for precision and emotional clarity.

The team finalizes costumes, lighting, and the spare stage layout, balancing lush color with simplicity. Set pieces and outfits are tested, and dancers practice with props and cues. The union of design and choreography begins to give the production its visual identity.

We watch rehearsal sequences that trace Salomé's growing longing for John and Herod's conflicting desires. The performers embody the emotional beats of the story, shaping timing and intensity. The process reveals how the 'Salomé' stage version translates a biblical narrative into dance.

On the stage set, Herod marries Herodias and becomes enthralled with Salomé, who initially resists the request to dance. Herodias influences her daughter, pushing Salomé toward the provocative performance. The tension between power, desire, and duty begins to mount.

Salomé finally agrees to dance for the king, and the choreography unfolds in a sensual, frenzied sequence. The king promises anything she asks, surrendering to the spell of the performance. The scene marks a turning point, blending artistic triumph with ominous undertones.

In defiance, Salomé requests the head of John the Baptist, shocking the king who is torn between desire and prohibitions. He reluctantly agrees, yielding to her demand. The act reveals the deadly consequences of manipulation and ambition.

John the Baptist's head is presented to Salomé on a tray, fulfilling the dangerous bargain. Yet Salomé realizes she still loves him, and the moment exposes the hollowness of power and manipulation. The emotional disintegration in the room is palpable.

Grief consumes Salomé and she hangs herself, bringing the violent arc to its end. The narrative intention shifts from spectacle to tragedy, underscoring the cost of desire and ambition. The production's personal cost is laid bare as the dancer pays the ultimate price.

The documentary frame lingers on the performers transforming through roles and back to themselves. The film invites reflection on how art, identity, and sacrifice intersect in the rehearsal room and on stage. The concluding moments tie the rehearsal’s intimacy to the audience's understanding of the story.