Critics reviews

With its tricky tone and its wildly ambitious themes, it’s not surprising to find Silva’s outrageous, salacious film stumbling as it brings its many threads into focus. Like Sebastián’s art and his journal in the film, “Rotting in the Sun” remains a patchwork of quotes and ideas and provocations hastily if hilariously stitched together.

Sebastián Silva’s unhinged new black comedy may be rough around the edges and too long, but prevails as an entrancingly strange, oft-hilarious outing that touts more male nudity than all the Jackass films combined.

A hilarious and dazzling feat of self-deprecation... [Rotting in the Sun marks] a great return for Silva's sense of charcoal-black satire—here's it about influencer culture, social media brain, artistic integrity, and more... No one does laugh-out-loud discomfort quite like Silva.

Silva juggles so much within his budgetary constraints, and the result is something that is consistently surprising and perpetually thoughtful about what power and privilege look like on the ground. Firstman boldly flaunts his obnoxiousness... but he also offers a considerable amount of charm.

This biting meta queer satire on class, social media, gay life, and fucking then ambles along at a sexy pace until it takes a completely unexpected dark turn... "Rotting" is unique, deceptive, surprising, and irresistible.

It would not be surprising if Rotting in the Sun went on to become a cult favorite. Besides being a perfect snapshot of the moment we’re living, it will prove to be a work of art that becomes more rewarding with each viewing.

With its freewheeling handheld camerawork and characters grounded in skewed reality, [Rotting in the Sun] whips up a compelling kind of 21st century madness as it reflects on the solipsistic nature of artists and gay men in a world consumed by shallow pleasures.

Rotting in the Sun [turns] from a gay-themed meta-fictional exploration of gay identity in the 21st century into a mystery-thriller that becomes more absurd by the minute. It’s also incredibly funny... [graced with] one of the cleverest, jaw-dropping plot turns in recent memory.

A marvel of comic timing shot in deft handheld, Rotting in the Sun is full of unpredictable turns as it mocks the state of perpetual distraction that afflicts Silva and his friends.

Rotting in the Sun [is] an epically poison-penned side-eye toward modern gay culture that leaves no bundle-of-sticks unturned, most especially [Silva's] own... [The film] is as aggressive as anything Silva’s come up with to date... It’s breathlessly funny and mean-spirited, a tonic for these trying, boring times.

“Raunchy” doesn’t quite begin to describe Rotting in the Sun, nor is it a good catch-all. Yes, there is a lot of nudity... But its plethora of penises cleverly disguises something much more amusing: a social satire that works without feeling arsed to make big, sweeping statements about the state of culture.

The full-frontal nature of this film and its in-your-face attitude may not be mainstream but they are the sort of ingredients cult status is made of... [Rotting in the Sun] becomes a full-on assault on the senses - it’s as though Silva is challenging his audience to ride or die with the cinematic equivalent of standing in a wind tunnel while someone hurls furniture at you and another person runs their fingernails down a blackboard at high volume.