By Mr. Will Wong
Co-Writer and Director Sebastián Silva crafts a quirky Comedy-Mystery in ROTTING IN THE SUN, which debuted to praise at Sundance ’23 earlier this year.
The Film centers on Social Media star Jordan Firstman, playing a fictionalized version of himself. While vacationing in Mexico City, he by chance, crosses paths with Filmmaker Sebastián Silva, also playing a ficionalized version of himself. They’re polar opposities. Firstman is wild, there to be party and be promiscuous, while Silva is dealing with some things. After almost drowning while swimming, Silva meets Firstman who coincidentally just saw his movie Crystal Fairy & the Magic Cactus the night before. Firstman is convinced this is karmic and tries convincing Silva to work with him on a series – of course – about Firstman. Things take a turn when Silva goes missing and suddenly ghosts Firstman, who then becomes determined to find Silva, and even suspects his cleaning lady might be the actual culprit.
We’ve never seen anything quite like this. We aren’t quite sure where all of this is heading in the first act. Copious male nudity, graphic sex and boys being wild abound can’t seem to phase Silva who’s in his own head. Though his life is spared from a drowning, this sets him up for something even more catastrophic in escaping death. People, stay present and off your phones while performing tasks that require your full attention! And this is where Silva‘s storytelling ability shines. We become invested in Firstman‘s relentless quest for the truth, navigating the language barrier with his phone and helping solve the mystery behind his new friend’s disappearance. ROTTING IN THE SUN goes from messy to focussed as the story reaches a turning point and it all makes sense.
Firstman is able to carry the Film with sheer self-absorbed charisma and Silva’s presence is felt even when off-screen. A crafty biting satire on a head-down-in-phone, self-absorbed culture.
ROTTING IN THE SUN arrives September 15, 2023 on Mubi.
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