Quick Facts
- Primary Filming Location: The film was almost entirely shot within a single-block radius of the Roma neighborhood in Mexico City, specifically centered around the iconic Plaza Río de Janeiro and the historic ‘La Casa de Las Brujas’.
- The Core Satire: Rotting in the Sun serves as a scathing critique of the "American digital nomad" culture, exposing the profound self-absorption of expats who treat the Mexican capital as an insulated, aestheticized playground.
- The Mystery Beach: The coastal scenes were filmed at a real Oaxacan nude beach; however, director Sebastian Silva and star Jordan Firstman have deliberately kept its name anonymous to protect the location from the very over-tourism the film satirizes.
- Historical Parallel: The film draws a haunting line between the modern 2020s expat influx and the 1940s subculture documented in William S. Burroughs’ novel Queer, suggesting that the "insulated" white expat experience in Mexico City is a cycle that spans over 70 years.
Introduction: The Screen as a Mirror to Roma Norte
To walk through the streets of Roma Norte in the late afternoon is to navigate a carefully curated stage. The jacaranda trees cast violet shadows over Art Deco facades, while the air hums with the sound of laptop keys and the specific, nasal cadence of North American creative-class vernacular. It is a neighborhood that has become synonymous with a globalized "cool"—a megalopolis transformed into a boutique experience. It is precisely this transformation that Sebastian Silva captures with a brutal, cynical eye in his latest film, Rotting in the Sun.
The film is a meta-fictional descent into the lives of two men: Sebastian himself, a depressed filmmaker, and Jordan Firstman (playing a fictionalized version of himself), a hyper-active, Instagram-famous influencer. Their collision course is set against a backdrop of Mexico City that feels both hyper-real and deeply claustrophobic. By focusing on the "American digital nomad," Silva doesn't just show us a city; he shows us a mirror. The influx of remote workers during the COVID-era has fundamentally altered the corporeal and social fabric of neighborhoods like Roma, turning them into what Firstman’s character inadvertently exemplifies: a playground where the local culture is merely a decorative backdrop for one's own existential crisis.
The Micro-Geography of the Film: A One-Block Radius
There is a deliberate, almost agonizing insularity to how Rotting in the Sun is framed. While Mexico City is a sprawling, chaotic entity of nearly 22 million people, Silva’s urban narrative is surgically confined. Over 90% of the film's urban scenes take place within a single-block radius in the Roma district. This geographical choice isn't just a matter of logistical convenience; it is a profound narrative device.
The epicenter of this micro-universe is Plaza Río de Janeiro. With its replica of Michelangelo's David and its lush, European-style greenery, the plaza serves as the ultimate symbol of Roma’s aspirational identity. Around this square, the characters orbit one another, trapped in a loop of high-end cafes and sleek apartments. The most prominent landmark is the Edificio Río de Janeiro, famously known as La Casa de Las Brujas (The House of the Witches). Its red-brick Gothic architecture and "witch-hat" roof provide a brooding, supernatural contrast to the superficiality of the characters' lives.
"We wanted to capture the feeling of being stuck," Jordan Firstman remarked in a recent interview. "The characters aren't exploring Mexico City. They are exploring a very specific, wealthy, English-speaking bubble that could almost be anywhere, yet is painfully located right here."
Cinematic Use vs. Real-World History
| Location | Role in Rotting in the Sun | Historical/Real-World Context |
|---|---|---|
| Plaza Río de Janeiro | The "neutral ground" where characters drift and social hierarchies are subtly displayed. | Originally established in the early 1900s as a centerpiece for the Porfirian-era upper class. |
| La Casa de Las Brujas | Sebastian’s apartment building; its dark hallways reflect his internal decay. | Built in 1908; rumored to be haunted by 'Pachita,' a famous shaman who lived there. |
| Local Cafes | Places of performance where "work" happens amidst oat milk lattes. | Roma Norte has seen a 400% increase in "specialty coffee" shops in the last decade. |
Beyond the City: The Mystery of the Oaxacan Coast
The film’s first act takes us away from the grey-toned, jittery energy of the city to the blinding sun of the Oaxacan coast. It is here that Jordan and Sebastian first meet, amidst a landscape of raw, uninhibited nudity and crashing waves. The contrast is visceral: the city is about the ego, while the beach is about the body.
However, unlike many travelogues that would eagerly pin a location for the sake of tourism, Silva and Firstman have made a conscious decision to keep this beach anonymous. In a world where a single "viral" geotag can lead to the environmental and cultural destruction of a hidden gem, the filmmakers chose to protect it. The beach represents a sense of freedom—a "state of nature"—that is increasingly threatened by the very people the film satirizes.
The "rotting" mentioned in the title begins here, in the sun. It is the decay of authenticity, the moment a pristine location becomes a "content opportunity." By refusing to name the beach, the film underscores its core theme: the tourist’s gaze eventually destroys what it loves.
Gentrification on Display: Real Locations and Their Satirical Roles
Culinary culture is the primary currency of the modern expat, and Rotting in the Sun uses this with surgical precision. One of the most telling scenes involves Rosetta, often cited as one of the best restaurants in the world. In the film, Rosetta isn't just a place to eat; it is a site of social performance. The irony lies in the fact that while the food is world-class and deeply rooted in Mexican ingredients, the clientele in the film’s version of Roma is almost exclusively international.
The art gallery scenes further emphasize this erasure of local culture. We see the "American finance drone" or the "European creative director" negotiating spaces that once belonged to the local community. The film highlights how gentrification isn't just about rising rents; it's about the psychological colonization of a neighborhood.
- The Apartment: Sebastian’s living space is grand yet crumbling, a metaphor for the fading grandeur of Old Roma being consumed by new, hollow energy.
- The Street Scenes: The presence of the "cleaners" and the local workers who keep the machine running provides a silent, poignant contrast to the loud, self-absorbed conversations of the leads.
Analysis: Why 'Rotting in the Sun' is Anti-Travel Cinema
In an era of "travel goals" and "hidden gem" listicles, Rotting in the Sun stands as a defiant piece of anti-travel cinema. It doesn't invite you to visit; it asks you to question why you want to visit in the first place. The film suggests that the modern traveler isn't looking for a connection with another culture, but rather a more affordable, more "aesthetic" version of their own life.
This brings us to the "White Lotus" effect. Much like the HBO series, Rotting in the Sun uses beautiful locations to tell a story of human ugliness. But there is a danger here: does the satire accidentally drive more tourism? Does seeing Jordan Firstman sprint through the streets of Roma make a 25-year-old creative from Brooklyn want to book a one-way flight to CDMX?
The answer lies in the film's unflinching look at the "insularity" of the expat life. By showing the characters as physically and socially trapped within their one-block radius, Silva reveals the boredom and emptiness of the nomadic lifestyle. They are in Mexico, but they are never truly in Mexico. They are simply rotting in the sun, waiting for the next notification, the next coffee, or the next tragedy to make them feel alive.
FAQ
Where exactly was the 'urban' portion of the film shot? The urban narrative was filmed almost exclusively in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City. Specifically, the majority of the scenes occur within one block of Plaza Río de Janeiro, including the famous Edificio Río de Janeiro (La Casa de Las Brujas).
Is the film based on a true story? It is a "meta-fiction." While the characters of Sebastian Silva and Jordan Firstman are based on their real identities and the film uses their real names, the plot—specifically the darker, thriller elements of the second half—is a fictional satire designed to critique the social dynamics of Mexico City's expat community.
What is the significance of the Burroughs reference? The film draws a parallel to William S. Burroughs’ 1952 novel Queer, which was set in Mexico City. By doing so, Silva highlights that the "white expat in Mexico" is not a new phenomenon, but a long-standing tradition of escapism and social isolation that has merely evolved with the digital age.
A Note for the Conscious Traveler
If Rotting in the Sun teaches us anything, it’s that the way we occupy space matters. Mexico City is a vibrant, ancient, and complex megalopolis—not a background for a social media feed. If you find yourself in Roma Norte, step outside the one-block radius. Engage with the history that predates the digital nomad. Support local businesses that have survived the tide of gentrification.
