Sundown
There’s a question that pops into our heads by the end of “Sundown” as to who knew what prior to the moment the film began, and even as the film goes on. The conclusion makes us think we know one of the questions, but even then, what does that say about things that happen during the rest of the film? Michel Franco’s drama takes us through a timeline where paradise is clouded by death, even more than we may realize; whether some of that death is deliberate on the part of some of the individuals is something we can never really know.
Tim Roth is one of those actors whom, even as a “good guy,” always seems to have an ulterior motive. Even as the undercover cop in “Reservoir Dogs,” you can’t really act surprised when he makes a choice to betray someone who’s come to trust him. Here, he plays Neil, one of the heirs to a slaughterhouse company out of London; his sister, Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), is the other one. They are on vacation in Acapulco with Alice’s two children when news arrives from home of a family tragedy. When that happens, old resentments and family tensions boil to the surface.
When death hits close to us, how we react sometimes can be a mystery to others, and even to us, to decipher. Communication can help, but what if we don’t feel like talking. As “Sundown” unfolds, we seem to be getting a glimpse at that in how both Neil and Alice react to a piece of news. One feels very natural, one does not, but truthfully, both feel honest to the characters as they’ve been set up at the beginning of the film. One of the things that is so striking about this film is the way our feelings towards Neil, in particular, shift throughout “Sundown’s” 82 minutes. In the first half of the film, he strikes us as very level-headed and business-like, and almost aloof at the idea of this vacation, but as the film progresses, his behavior seems rather selfish and that of someone who doesn’t really care what happens. It’s only at the end that we realize that maybe, he’s been acting consistently as he has for a reason that he would rather not share to the world.
“Sundown” gives us one of Tim Roth’s best performances as a man who’s trajectory in life feels counter to the life he leads at home. There’s a lot of shades in the film that are familiar to long-time watchers of the actor, surrounded with an uncertainty and empathy that we can’t necessarily explain until we have all the knowledge for ourselves. When that happens, we start to understand, and as someone who’s thought of his own mortality over the years, I can’t help but feel envious of his convictions. It’s a fascinating study in personal choices, especially the ones with which we govern our lives.
