Rotting in the Sun

So this is of course polarizing and yes, Silva does have a tendency to deliberately shock for no dramatic purpose, but this film is carried by his muse Catalina Saavedra who helped him to stardom as "La Nana" (2009) which won Sundance back in the day. Silva then moved to the US and made one terrible film after another, all lacking the ingenious timing of "La Nana", so he has good reasons to be depressed and suicidal. This film is obviously a cleansing ritual of sorts, Silva kills himself to be born again, and while this may seem terribly self-centered, it does provide one of the most neglected actresses a chance to show her vast range.

It's also a rare satire of hedonistic queer life as only Almodóvar did before respectability killed his genius, also in collaboration with muses, most importantly Carmen Maura. It's no coincidence that Saavedra's part has similarities with Maura's in "What have I done to deserve this" (1984). Firstman is pretty gutsy doing a role like this (just imagine, Michael Cera turned it down). He is an Instagramer and this film makes you hate them even more. Most people don't seem to get the allegory of the artist working on film and canvas (which Saavedra destroys in her first scene) being replaced by the digital usurper, although that elevates the film to social criticism.

For me it's a positive surprise as I didn't expect much from it, but the shock value for non-gays makes it niche. To paraphrase a Latino saying, Americans just can't look cocks in the eye(s).

The film had a lot going for it, but it also had some glaring issues that were hard to ignore.

First and foremost, I couldn't help but be annoyed by the fact that the movie was filmed in Mexico with no Mexican actors playing Mexican characters. It felt like a missed opportunity to add authenticity to the story, and it was distracting throughout the film.

On the positive side, the characters were a highlight for me. They were well-developed and likable, which made me invest in their journey. The chemistry between the actors was palpable, even if they weren't Mexican, and this added depth to the story.

Speaking of the story, it was refreshingly original and natural. I appreciated the unique narrative and the way it unfolded. The plot kept me engaged, and I was genuinely curious about how it would all play out.

However, my enthusiasm took a hit towards the end. It felt like the filmmakers didn't put as much effort into wrapping up the story as they did in setting it up. The ending felt somewhat lazy and left too many loose ends, which left me somewhat unsatisfied.

In the end, I'd rate this movie a solid 7. Despite its flaws, the original storyline and well-drawn characters made it an enjoyable watch. I just wish the filmmakers had paid more attention to authenticity and a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, Rotting in the Sun has everything it takes to make a decent thriller. It's pacy, it's good kind of chaotic, well acted by the protagonists and interesting twists and turn.

I get that excessive drugs use from the hedonistic protagonists seems like a 'social commentary' of influencers life, but it ended up being tacky. Haven't you heard, hedonism is no longer cool in this economy ?

Coming into this film i expect a certain degree of nudity, but my goodness, i didn't expect this many flashing of male genitalia and explicit sex scenes that pretty much a 'corn'.

These things felt like it serves as a 'shock value', with purpose to compensate other things that this film lack of, and that is humor. It has nothing to do with the story and i don't see any reason why this is necessary.

I watched this film cause of some rave on tiktok. Maybe it's not the most reliable apps to gets films recommendation.

I just loved watching this movie. Hard to watch in some parts but overall this is a modern age art film at his best.

It was such an interesting idea from the director to come out with this story. It's like a moodboard of the queer community but also about the difference between being a local or a visitor in a foreign country.

I wasn't expecting the twist through not even halfway the movie. The character of Vero is silly but also brilliant. Jordan is just being Jordan and we just love to watch. Like he said, he's a happy clown!

Between all the shots on the dicks, the Hitchcock mystery or the drugs use, this movie was very original and it just shows that you don't need alot of budget or material to make a movie that will catch your attention and made you think after.

It is also refreshing to watch a queer movie that is not about finding your identity or about love.

We need more projects between Sebastian and Jordan!!

Wasn't expecting a few unexpected twists and the fast sudden change of leads within a movie with 2 protagonists. Impressive. This has a genuine feel of reality and it follows a very logical route of story telling. And that's exactly how the guilty character would behave with anyone caught in that dire predicament. The female helper was truly superb in her performance giving so many conflicting and disturbing vibes of what exactly is she in character essence. She can seem naive and somewhat intellectually slow, yet her instinctive prodding for an accomplice to erase her reckless misdeed betrays her darker nature. Again, the ending was another unexpected twist from her yet unpredictable surrender of truth when she could have had simply fade into oblivion. Great show.