Rotting in the Sun

Play trailer

1:53

Rotting in the Sun

2023

1h 49m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

LGBTQ+

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Sergio Burstein

Los Angeles Times

Oct 5, 2023

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

Go to Full Review

Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (LAist)

Oct 4, 2023

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

Go to Full Review

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Sep 14, 2023

4/5

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

Go to Full Review

Alex Heeney

Seventh Row

Mar 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.

Go to Full Review

Alex Papaioannou

InSession Film

Oct 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...

Go to Full Review

Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

Oct 9, 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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Michael C

@Coxmjc23 Jan 7, 2025

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

See more

Jonathan F

@RT49463802 Feb 4, 2024

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

See more

Michael F

@ExpatMichael Jan 21, 2024

Quirky, unusual doesn't take itself too seriously.

See more

Tawha N

@RT09692876 Dec 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

See more

Tyler G

@tylergross121 Oct 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.

See more

Beth N

@BNK108 Oct 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!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Sebastian Silva

Director

Sebastián Silva

Director

Jordan Firstman

Actor

Sebastian Silva

Actor

Robert Keller

Sasha (HBO Executive)

Vitter Leíja

Victor

Poolman

24%

20%

Poolman

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Poolman

Vengeance

82%

86%

Vengeance

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Vengeance

A Serial Killer's Guide to Life

92%

59%

A Serial Killer's Guide to Life

Watchlist

ClearMind

100%

59%

ClearMind

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Rotting in the Sun: Trailer 1

1:53

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

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

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings