September 18, 2023
FILM: ROTTING IN THE SUN
DIRECTED BY: SEBASTIAN SILVA
STARRING: JORDAN FIRSTMAN, SEBASTIAN SILVA, CATALINA SAAVEDRA
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When a film begins with talk of death, suicide, and zombies the assumption might be that it will be a dark, brooding, horror thriller. In Rotting in the Sun these elements are there but not in the way that you might think. This is actually a pretty taut mystery which changes perspectives several times creating a provocative and unpredictable ride.
The film stars Sebastian Silva, the director, playing a version of himself. The early scenes feature him in a dark place. There’s a lot of work being done to his home and Silva seems to be despondent and lost in his life. He’s reading a book called The Trouble with Being Born so we know something’s a little off. When it is suggested that he go on a retreat to a popular gay beach, Silva heads away. Soon he is greeted by a scene of naked men engaged in various levels of sexual activity. Silva seems intrigued but also a bit distant. After a near drowning experience, Silva meets Jordan Firstman (also playing a version of himself), a social media celebrity who recognizes Silva immediately. Firstman wants Silva to direct an upcoming project. He comes on strong and overly assertive. The two men couldn’t be any more different. Firstman is the happy clown while Silva is the depressive downer. The former is an influencer while the latter is a bona fide artist. Firstman insists on visiting him once he returns home to work on the project.
It is here that the narrative twists. Without spoiling anything, the point of view changes from Silva to his maid to Firstman, along with some of the other workers in Silva’s building. It’s an interesting shift in perspectives that changes the tone and genre more than once. The film is at once a romantic comedy, a mystery, and a thriller. This constant change is also reflected by varying camera perspectives within Silva’s building. They are often in constant handheld motion. We never really get a strong sense of the layout of the space which creates a disorienting feeling throughout the film.
Firstman goes through the most significant arc of the characters and the actor is more than up to the challenge. He truly comes across as a fun, pushy, and life-loving man. The realities he faces later bring him down, almost to becoming a mirror image of the downbeat Silva. It’s a great performance and Firstman definitely has a lot of screen charisma to hit all the necessary beats.
Also interesting here is Catalina Saavedra as Vero, Silva’s maid. She’s got a tricky part to play in that she is more understood by viewers than by the other characters in her scenes. We know what she knows. As such, every facial expression clearly accentuates what we understand she is experiencing internally.
It must be noted that this film would fall under the traditional MPAA rating system as a hard R. Perhaps NC 17. The sex scenes are some of the most graphic one might see outside of hardcore pornography. This shouldn’t be a deterrent though as it is not the main focus of the film. Rather this is a hybrid of genres that feels wholly original and unpredictable. The more it has sat with me, the more I’m intrigued to see it again to unwrap its narrative detours and complex characters.
Rotting in the Sun is currently playing on the streaming service MUBI. It can also be purchased on Amazon Prime.
FILM: ROTTING IN THE SUN
DIRECTED BY: SEBASTIAN SILVA
STARRING: JORDAN FIRSTMAN, SEBASTIAN SILVA, CATALINA SAAVEDRA
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When a film begins with talk of death, suicide, and zombies the assumption might be that it will be a dark, brooding, horror thriller. In Rotting in the Sun these elements are there but not in the way that you might think. This is actually a pretty taut mystery which changes perspectives several times creating a provocative and unpredictable ride.
The film stars Sebastian Silva, the director, playing a version of himself. The early scenes feature him in a dark place. There’s a lot of work being done to his home and Silva seems to be despondent and lost in his life. He’s reading a book called The Trouble with Being Born so we know something’s a little off. When it is suggested that he go on a retreat to a popular gay beach, Silva heads away. Soon he is greeted by a scene of naked men engaged in various levels of sexual activity. Silva seems intrigued but also a bit distant. After a near drowning experience, Silva meets Jordan Firstman (also playing a version of himself), a social media celebrity who recognizes Silva immediately. Firstman wants Silva to direct an upcoming project. He comes on strong and overly assertive. The two men couldn’t be any more different. Firstman is the happy clown while Silva is the depressive downer. The former is an influencer while the latter is a bona fide artist. Firstman insists on visiting him once he returns home to work on the project.
It is here that the narrative twists. Without spoiling anything, the point of view changes from Silva to his maid to Firstman, along with some of the other workers in Silva’s building. It’s an interesting shift in perspectives that changes the tone and genre more than once. The film is at once a romantic comedy, a mystery, and a thriller. This constant change is also reflected by varying camera perspectives within Silva’s building. They are often in constant handheld motion. We never really get a strong sense of the layout of the space which creates a disorienting feeling throughout the film.
Firstman goes through the most significant arc of the characters and the actor is more than up to the challenge. He truly comes across as a fun, pushy, and life-loving man. The realities he faces later bring him down, almost to becoming a mirror image of the downbeat Silva. It’s a great performance and Firstman definitely has a lot of screen charisma to hit all the necessary beats.
Also interesting here is Catalina Saavedra as Vero, Silva’s maid. She’s got a tricky part to play in that she is more understood by viewers than by the other characters in her scenes. We know what she knows. As such, every facial expression clearly accentuates what we understand she is experiencing internally.
It must be noted that this film would fall under the traditional MPAA rating system as a hard R. Perhaps NC 17. The sex scenes are some of the most graphic one might see outside of hardcore pornography. This shouldn’t be a deterrent though as it is not the main focus of the film. Rather this is a hybrid of genres that feels wholly original and unpredictable. The more it has sat with me, the more I’m intrigued to see it again to unwrap its narrative detours and complex characters.
Rotting in the Sun is currently playing on the streaming service MUBI. It can also be purchased on Amazon Prime.