Just watching the trailer for Sebastián Silva’s “Rotting in the Sun” makes one thing abundantly clear—if you watch this film, you better be comfortable with male nudity. And if the sheer number of penises doesn’t scare you off, then you’re going to be delighted to find a really ridiculous and hilarious meta-comedy.
“Rotting in the Sun” tells the story of Sebastián Silva, a filmmaker who is in need of a vacation to recharge. He finds himself at a gay beach town in Mexico where he meets Jordan Firstman, an influencer who loves the idea of collaborating with Silva on a project. When Firstman goes back to Mexico City, hoping to find Silva, he discovers the filmmaker is nowhere to be found. This leads Firstman on a mission to find Silva and figure out why the filmmaker ghosted him.
Yes, this is a meta-story, so the two leads, Silva and Firstman play versions of themselves. Not only that, the film is directed by Silva, who once again collaborated with his writing partner Pedro Peirano on the project. Sebastián Silva is the indie Chilean filmmaker known for his irreverent, discomforting, and surreal comedies that never fit neatly into one genre. He’s probably best known by film critics and film culture for his breakthrough film, “The Maid” in 2009, but he started to make more mainstream inroads with weird, uncomfortable, and hilarious movies like “Nasty Baby” (2015) with Kristen Wiig and “Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus” (2013) starring Michael Cera. He’s also super prodigious having directed 15 film TV and short projects since 2007.
“Rotting in the Sun” arrives in theaters on September 8. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the 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, and Jordan embarks on a wildly unpredictable, quasi-detective journey.