Rotting in the Sun

Sebastián Silva plays a collapsed version of himself, under his own name, in his own flat: no work, plenty of ketamine, thinking about dying. He goes to the coast and runs into Jordan Firstman, also playing himself, a man made famous by social media who never stops talking and never stops pitching collaborations. Then the film shifts, without warning, into another genre entirely. Its bravest quality is that neither man protects himself. Silva presents himself as lazy, envious and unpleasant, while Firstman's character is designed to grate. Sex and nudity are used directly and without coyness. It premiered at Sundance in 2023, opened in cinemas on 8 September 2023 and went to Mubi on 15 September. Its flaw is that the first half hour is deliberately irritating and some viewers leave it there. The missing person thread never fully settles either. Who it is for: viewers who like black comedy and meta films with no boundaries. Who it is not for: anyone uncomfortable with explicit sex and drug use.