Rotting In The Sun (English/Spanish)

At virtually every opportunity, Rotting in the Sun is daring you to hate it. It feels like the film is a meta version where the actual director plays a fictionalized self-loathing version of himself. But not just him, the other main character Jordan Firstman, playing himself in the film (I wasn't familiar with the guy, so I did my homework) is also an odd mix of comedy/meta/sattire, almost to the point of annoying. I still haven't made my mind on what really I think of this film. Also , just to put it out there there are scenes of male nudity, dick shots and sex, like full on. If you have ever complained that movies are scared of realistic depictions of sexuality; then this film is a dick-stravaganza with contextually relevant full-frontal male nudity on nude beaches and at orgies and more.

The story is also interesting, Sebastian is a fading director living in Mexico City. He should be working but instead he spends his day with his dog, snorting all kinds of drug, slightly depressed and always talking about suicide. He is mean to his dog and unforgivably rude to his housekeeper Vero. As suggested by a friend of his, he takes trip to coast, staying at a gay partying spot with shit load of hot naked men where he meets influencer Jordan Firstman. He is obnoxious, flirty, pushy and almost pushes himself to work with Sebastian on something together, which frustratingly Sebastian gives into. And then something terrible happens. In a freak accident Sebastian ends up dying and this is where the drama begins. Jordan is in town and can't find Sebastian , who has gone missing. What does Vero know? Is she the key to the details of what happened? I am tempted to write here where the story goes, but I will try my best. But the second half of the film is all about Jordan trying to find Sebastian with help of his friend and brother and Vero, who knows an dis involved in more than it meets the eye kinda situation. The film constantly keeps going back between English and Spanish.

Firstman’s bubbly and insufferably uninhibited on-screen persona clashes with Sebastian's tortured and misunderstood artiste demeanor. Neither of their characters is someone one would want to spend much time with, much less together. This film, in that sense, is a deliberate exercise in tolerance. The real star of the film, in my opinion is the maid Vero. When Firstman questions her about Sebastián’s whereabouts through a translator app on his phone, she knows better than to give away the secret that's keeping her employed. And the actress plays her role with such humanity that it’s easy to root for Vero's success at deceiving him. But at the same time, using his own role and that of his rich friend of Jordan; the film makers is trying to make a statement on Mexico City being taken over by expats and the privilege of rich, overuse of drugs. Mental health wrt suicide and how people react and support to that. The film constantly shows us the characters using insta or tik-tok to show how virtual distractions create a buffer from real-world concerns, which there are a lot of in this film. As I have mentioned before, there is a lot of 'good' nudity in the film but it still feels al little long tp watch. I kept going through phases of I like the film or I hate this film and that why even now, I don't really know how I feel about it. It's an interesting concept for sure. Bringing the very real world of influencers into the very strange world of filmmaking, it blurs the lines of fiction and reality  and comedy and weirdness. The end is a bit of bitter sweet as it seems to come from a place of necessity rather than style or narrative. With all its quirkiness and weirdness, it does offer an insight into the made up world of influencers, the cultures, sexuality and what not. I think the movie is trying to make fun of its audience by trying to show us how stupid we really are, but the satire is slightly complicated and may not be easily understood by many including me. I was anyways more than happy to see all the nudity and erect dicks and sex scenes in addition to the somewhat mixed up black comedy. (6.5/10)