Rotting in the Sun (2023)

Rotting in the Sun won't be what you think it is. Often talk around a film can distract from the real substance of the movie. I was struck very early into the film just how much it was resonating for me, despite my differences from the central character, and as the film played out, how much it went in directions I did not expect. By the end it is a film that sat with me for a while after, not the plethora of penises that people are talking about, but the conflicting emotional states.

I've never been suicidal so the first act, centred around a fictional version of the writer/director of the film, didn't resonate with me because of that, but more because of his struggles to connect, an almost misanthropic sense of futility, his sexual distractions, and ultimate lack of fulfilment. As Rotting in the Sun continued, and introduced the also fictionalized version of Jordan Firstman, I recognized so much in their connection/lack of connection/disconnection. I think so much of what happens here will speak to queer men and the unique frustrations that exist in the spaces between us. I was quite shaken but what I was witnessing. 

The film takes a number of surprising turns that I don't want to spoil here and instead I just want to speak to the way the film continued to explore the feelings of queer alienation and connection as its satirical, darkly comic plot played out. Silva has tapped into something rich here that is rarely explored in queer cinema which tends to either focus on affirming stories or tragic ones (Red, White & Royal Blue and Brokeback Mountain as respective examples). While I feel both those are necessary there is something remarkably refreshing and surprisingly moving about a story like this, with all its dark edges.

I have to mention the incredible performance of Catalina Saaverda in a role that knocked my socks off and exceeded all my expectations. I feel like I can't even describe it without spoiling the experience of the film so just watch it and watch her. 

Rotting is bold, not because of the unsimulated sex... well I guess that is bold because of just how accurate so much of it felt. Sex in films often feels so unrealistic and the stuff that is here is just... honest. Firstman's willingness to have generally underwhelming sex on screen brings a richness and authenticity to the film that so much queer cinema is missing. But Rotting is bold for so many other reasons including its darkness, its willingness to create very real interactions between queer men in all their fleeting miserable beauty. Sex is part of l life and seeing intimacy play out on screen can enhance the themes and characters in a story. Rotting explemplifiues that. It is a big part of what makes the story feel so real and one of the reasons it will be a film that resonates for me as I continue to reflect on it. 

Rotting in the Sun

Starring: Jordan Firstman, Sebastián Silva, Catalina Saaverdra 

Director: Sebastián Silva 

Writers: Pedro Peirano, Sebastián Silva