Rotting in the Sun

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1:53

Rotting in the Sun

2023

1h 49m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Writer-director Sebastián Silva's Sundance hit ROTTING IN THE SUN is a darkly funny and refreshingly audacious meta-comedy that skewers the business of filmmaking and our self-obsessed culture. While unwinding at a Mexican gay beach town, depressed director Sebastián Silva meets gregarious Instagram influencer Jordan Firstman (both playing versions of themselves), and Sebastián reluctantly agrees to collaborate on an upcoming project. But when Jordan arrives back in Mexico City, Sebastián is nowhere to be found. Jordan dances, sleeps and snorts his way through the city as he embarks on a quasi-detective journey to get to the bottom of Sebastián's disappearance.

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Critics Consensus

Rotting in the Sun's bold ambition and infectious frenetic energy prove a natural -- albeit not universally appealing -- fit for its unique flavor of dark mischief.

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Sergio Burstein

Los Angeles Times

10/05/2023

An especially brave and original film, full of surprises and generous entertainment dues. [Full review in Spanish]

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Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (LAist)

10/04/2023

The MVP here is Catalina Saavedra... Her role and how it evolves is really the most interesting part of the movie.

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

09/14/2023

4/5

Very sharp, and Firstman is bang-on as the social celeb who comes good.

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Alex Heeney

Seventh Row

03/22/2024

By far the funniest film of 2023, Sebastián Silva’s existential crisis movie involves phenobarbitol, a depressing (slash hilarious?) amount of aggressively in-your-face penises at a gay beach, and a lament that the best art rarely pays.

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Alex Papaioannou

InSession Film

10/30/2023

C-

Rotting in the Sun may squander its potential as a meaningful commentary on society dealing with mental health, but it doesn’t miss the mark when it comes to one of its central characters...

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Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

10/09/2023

2/5

What could have been a provocative satire ended up feeling excessively simulated, derailed by an uncontrolled impetus that only makes it further rigid and cold.

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Michael C

@Coxmjc23 01/07/2025

Beautifully made and such a great film!!! Definitely need more movies like this!!!

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Jonathan F

@RT49463802 02/04/2024

Fresh, sarcastic, sexy, I really loved watching this movie, very cool script.

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Michael F

@ExpatMichael 01/21/2024

Quirky, unusual doesn't take itself too seriously.

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Tawha N

@RT09692876 12/29/2023

Takes some time to find its footing but ultimately a tense but funny ride when it keeps going towards the secondary half. 3/5

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Tyler G

@tylergross121 10/19/2023

More d!cks/ft^2 than any movie ever. I found the regular playing on the awkwardness of translation and class interesting. A murder mystery slow burner that drags on a bit too long and never comes to a satisfyingly conclusion.

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Beth N

@BNK108 10/10/2023

Found this movie to be brilliant! Great mash up between the racy and mundane. Characters were unique, authentic, quirky, cheeky, but with glimpses of depth, including, perhaps especially, Chima the dog. Got super nervous about that characters fate adding an underlying extra layer of tension. Though the movie has a line through it and some critics prefer one side to the other, I loved both sides of the line and especially the ending. The film-makers played themselves as the main characters, balls to the wall!

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Rotting in the Sun: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Writer-director Sebastián Silva's Sundance hit ROTTING IN THE SUN is a darkly funny and refreshingly audacious meta-comedy that skewers the business of filmmaking and our self-obsessed culture. While unwinding at a Mexican gay beach town, depressed director Sebastián Silva meets gregarious Instagram influencer Jordan Firstman (both playing versions of themselves), and Sebastián reluctantly agrees to collaborate on an upcoming project. But when Jordan arrives back in Mexico City, Sebastián is nowhere to be found. Jordan dances, sleeps and snorts his way through the city as he embarks on a quasi-detective journey to get to the bottom of Sebastián's disappearance.

Director: Sebastian Silva, Sebastián Silva
Producer: Jacob Wasserman
Screenwriter: Sebastian Silva, Pedro Peirano, Sebastián Silva
Distributor: MUBI
Production Co: Hidden Content, Spacemaker Productions, Diroriro, The Lift, Icki Eneo Arlo
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 8, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 1h 49m