REVIEW: Rotting in the Sun [2023]

Rating: NR | Runtime: 109 minutes
Release Date: September 8th, 2023 (USA) / September 14th, 2023 (Mexico)
Studio: MUBI
Director(s): Sebastián Silva
Writer(s): Pedro Peirano & Sebastián Silva

I’ve, like, never met someone so obsessed with drowning.

The energy during the first half of Sebastián Silva’s Rotting in the Sun is electric—and that’s saying something considering the lead character (Silva playing a fictional version of himself) is suicidal. Despite the existential voiceover spouting an asinine line about depressed people not being suicidal because their inability to find something to live for also means they won’t find something to die for, we can tell he’s not really serious. And that belief only gets cemented when he almost drowns while in the process of trying to save someone else from drowning.

Co-written by Silva and Pedro Peirano, this incident seems to provide a new lease on life. Sebastián is shaking from the experience. He fought to survive. And now he might have earned a new friend in influencer Jordan Firstman (also playing a fictionalized version of himself). Except, of course, that the whole notion of an “influencer” being successful while he struggles to sell paintings and laments the fact no one has seen his movies makes him depressed all over again. Why does everyone know Jordan but him? Why does no one know him but Jordan? Is selling out the only way to give his life meaning?

Yes, it sounds depressing and hardly electric, but these questions are revealed against the backdrop of a gay nude beach littered with sex, penises, and laughter to make Sebastián so uncomfortable you can’t help but accept it as normal so he can be further lost on an island alone with his self-serious malaise. Jordan’s vibe is conversely infectious. He knows how ridiculous he is and embraces it because it makes him happy. So, when Sebastián inevitably tries to feel better about himself by tearing his new acquaintance down, it’s easy to believe nothing can hurt this guy. Jordan is invincible. He’s exactly what Sebastián needs.

And then everything grinds to a halt. Why? Because Silva and company decide there needs to be a plot and wield tragedy as the propulsive force to deliver one. As the synopsis explains, Sebastián disappears—the day before Jordan is supposed to stay with him in Mexico City to work on a new project together. No one knows what happened, but Sebastián’s friend/landlord Mateo (Mateo Riestra) and housekeeper Vero (Catalina Saavedra) are obviously hiding something. Is it their complicity in helping Silva “ghost” Jordan? Is it guilt for something they did or think they did? Is it all the ketamine in the air?

The fact that we know what happened is unfortunately the film’s downfall because so much of the second half hinges on Jordan trying to discover what we already know. While that’s not necessarily a problem on its own, his search can’t avoid becoming monotonous because him figuring out the truth would be the end of the movie. So, we’re made to pretend to care about his struggle while actually investing in Vero’s wild cover-up of said truth. But even that proves circuitous considering her hands are tied by current circumstances making it so Mateo or Jordan is always in the way. The drama is therefore less about Jordan’s peace of mind than Vero surviving without succumbing to a panic attack.

When Rotting in the Sun is funny, though, it’s very funny. The dynamic between Silva’s prude and Jordan’s exhibitionist really sells the whole thing and I’d love to watch a movie based solely on how that partnership evolves. Sadly, this isn’t it since most of the runtime is about finding Sebastián. Firstman is great throughout, regardless—his frustration and fear growing palpable enough to smack himself loose of the carefree joie de vivre that initially appears to be his entire personality. But this is mainly Saavedra’s film. Her actions are what everyone else reacts to whether they know it or not. It’s a memorable performance that finds the humor in Vero’s horror.

Silva definitely has something here. It just doesn’t quite all come together before its tonal clashes find ways to undermine each other. That said, however, it’s worth a look. Its pieces might overshadow the whole, but some of them are so good that sitting through the rest becomes a necessity.