Summer War (Guerra de verano), the fifth feature by acclaimed Chilean writer-director Alicia Scherson (Family Life), will have its World Premiere in the International Narrative Competition at the Tribeca Festival 2026, taking place June 3–14 in New York City, marking Scherson's return to Tribeca, where she won the Best New Narrative Director Award for her 2005 debut feature Play.
Adapted from the novel The Third Reich by Roberto Bolaño—widely regarded as one of the most influential Latin American writers of the late 20th century—this sleek psychological thriller unfolds in 1989, against the waning days of the Pinochet dictatorship. It marks Scherson’s second adaptation of Bolaño's work, following Una novelita lumpen, which she previously brought to the screen as Il Futuro (2013).
Featuring an international ensemble including Dan Beirne (The Twentieth Century, Fargo), Lux Pascal (Queen of Coal), David Gaete (Victory or Death), Aline Kuppenheim (Chile ‘76), and Agustín Pardella (Society of the Snow), Summer War follows obsessive tabletop wargame champion Udo Berger, whose seaside vacation with his girlfriend takes a dark turn as his simulations of the past begin to bleed into the present.
As Udo becomes absorbed in a meticulously recreated simulation of World War II battles, the boundary between the game and reality begins to erode. When a tourist mysteriously disappears at sea, suspicion and paranoia ripple through the group, and Udo finds himself locked in a high-stakes match with an enigmatic local—one in which strategy begins to dictate the terms of reality.
Blending tension with dry and dark, understated humor, Scherson's adaptation captures the quiet unease of Bolaño's early prose. By relocating the story to Chile during a period of fragile political transition, the film sharpens its sense of dislocation and danger, reflecting on the porous boundary between simulated violence and its real-world consequences.
The premiere arrives at a pivotal moment for Bolaño's legacy. His work, marked by an unflinching engagement with violence and the shadows of the 20th century, remains a vital touchstone for contemporary culture. 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for his oeuvre, characterized by a renewed global interest in his most haunting narratives.
A hypnotic study of masculinity, paranoia, and the unseen forces that shape human relationships, the film offers a striking cinematic entry point into Bolaño's literary universe. In an era increasingly attuned to the afterlives of fascism and the ethics of representing history, Summer War resonates as a timely interrogation of how the past haunts the present.
