Sundown

Starring Tim Roth and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sundown is the new drama film by Michel Franco that focuses on an idyllic family vacation turned foul by tragedy, tension, mystery – and murder. Billed to be one of the best thrillers this year, the suspenseful story is punctuated with fast-paced, intense, and, at times, shocking scenes.

Set at the beachside Acapulco in Mexico, the film opens with Alice and Neil Bennett (Gainsbourg, Roth) sunbathing and luxuriating at a gorgeous open-plan home. Together with two other family members, Colin (Samuel Bottomley) and Alexa (Albertine Kotting McMillan), their trip is marred by a relative’s death, forcing them to head back to the UK. As the group prepare to board their flight, Neil forgets his passport and makes his return to Acapulco, leaving Alice to deal with the mess of making funeral arrangements.

Back in town, Neil becomes immersed in the coastal lifestyle. He frequents tourist haunts, lays by the beach, begins an affair with a local woman who works at a convenience store. What begins to emerge is the tensions of the town and its undercurrent of class division, corruption and crime. When Neil forges a new future for himself, he is suddenly thrust into an extreme chain of events that change his life ­– and his family’s – forever.

Franco does a stellar job in creating a world full of tension and intense moments. The story of Neil – who he is, his motivations, and willingness to break the family mould – are explored on the other plot of how fractured and violent Acapulco is The pacing of the film is quick, featuring short, hectic scenes that will keep you entertained. Some moments are bound to make you go “whoa!” and include the beachside homicide in an otherwise relaxed day, imaginary slaughtered pigs that follow Neil, and a kidnapping attempt that goes very wrong.

Tim Roth, known for his roles in Rob Roy, The War Zone and his collaboration in films such as Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight, is a natural in this film. Roth navigates the character with Neil with ease, playing him with a subconscious level of stoicism. Charlotte Gainsbourg, known for her roles in Nymphomaniac and The Snowman, is electric and her outbursts of aggression are great. 

Sundown explores the characters’ emotional states and the violence that lurks in their surroundings. Ultimately, when the two converge, it makes for terrific, nail-biting cinema.

Sundown
In cinemas now
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