Sundown (2022)
73%RT Audience Score: 63%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 5 nominations
Sundown’s emotionally muted wavelength may be difficult for some viewers to tune into, but it’s enlivened by Tim Roth’s strong central performance.
Sundown is the kind of movie that makes you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster ride, but instead of screaming, you’re just silently holding on for dear life. Tim Roth’s performance is so captivating that you can’t help but be drawn into his character’s world, even if you don’t quite understand it. And while the plot may be a bit confusing at times, it’s worth it just to see Roth in action. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride with Sundown.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Bleecker Street
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual content, violence, language and some graphic nudity
Year of Release
2022
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 23m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:France, Mexico, Sweden
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 28, 2022 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 17, 2022
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios, Henry Goodman, Albertine Kotting McMillan, Samuel Bottomley, directed by Michel Franco, written by Michel Franco, drama, $229.5K box office, R rating, reviewed by Barry Hertz, Paul Byrnes, Adam Graham, Josh Kupecki, James Berardinelli, Michael O’Sullivan, Jim Schembri, Simon Miraudo, Pablo Vázquez, Randy Meeks, Andrea G Bermejo, Alfonso Flores-Durón y Martínez, produced by Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Cristina Velasco, Bleecker Street, violence, language, graphic nudity, sexual content, wealthy family, Mexico vacation, emergency, tensions, Neil Bennett, Alice Bennett, Bernice, Richard, Alexa, Colin
Worldwide gross: $309,991
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $309,991
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,845
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 33,805
US/Canada gross: $229,922
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $229,922
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,518
US/Canada opening weekend: $21,930
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,930
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,482
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Alice
Iazua Larios – Bernice
Henry Goodman – Richard
Albertine Kotting McMillan – Alexa
Samuel Bottomley – Colin
Michel Franco – Director/Writer/Producer
Eréndira Núñez Larios – Producer
Cristina Velasco – Producer
Director(s)
Michel Franco
Writer(s)
Michel Franco
Producer(s)
Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Cristina Velasco
Film Festivals
Venice, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (113) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (86) | Rotten (27)
Sundown is both as mean as Franco’s reputation suggests and as compelling.
April 13, 2022
Barry Hertz
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
Franco may be making a point about the effects of disparity in wealth, but why base it on a narrative trick?
February 7, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
It’s a lot, and at the same time it simply isn’t enough.
February 3, 2022 | Rating: C+
Adam Graham
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Roth’s performance is utterly absorbing.
February 3, 2022
Josh Kupecki
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Tim Roth is perfectly cast as Neil. Throughout his acting career, Roth has excelled at portraying opaque characters whose true motivations are hidden.
February 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
“Sundown” is at its most engrossing as an individual portrait, even if its inscrutable subject is a person to whom virtually no (sane) viewer will relate.
February 2, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
The admirable thing about Roth’s deceptively downbeat performance and Michel Franco’s unobtrusive direction is that you’re always with Neil, even though you’re never quite sure where he is.
July 6, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Jim Schembri
jimschembri.com
It eats away at you, with Roth leaving just enough space and ambiguity in his character for the viewer to fill in the blanks with their own perspective and experience (at their own peril).
July 1, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Simon Miraudo
Movie Squad (RTRFM 92.1)
The chronicle of a trip to nowhere and, also, of an abandonment, of a renunciation, of an unexpected and inevitable flight in the face of emotional and existential boredom. [Full review in Spanish]
May 31, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Pablo Vázquez
Fotogramas
Neil is a simple man in a complex moment, a millionaire who doesn’t want money, a brother who wants to emancipate himself, a lover who embraces sex to feel something. Anything. Because if you feel something, you’re still alive. [Full review in Spanish]
May 26, 2022 | Rating: 3.5
Randy Meeks
Espinof
A film so alive, everything changes contently, life in life, keeping us prisoner in its enigmatic mastery.
[Full review in Spanish]
May 26, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Andrea G. Bermejo
Cinemanía (Spain)
The drama simmers, releasing bursts of tension. A sudden explosion may ensue… or maybe not. [Full review in Spanish]
May 20, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Alfonso Flores-Durón y Martínez
En Filme…
Plot
A wealthy family’s vacation in Mexico is cut short by a distant emergency, and tensions rise when one relative disrupts their tight-knit order in Sundown.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels notes that Tim Roth’s performance in Sundown is “utterly absorbing.”
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