When I watched New Order a few days ago, I immediately realized that I had to explore more of Michel Franco's career. Sundown is a very different film, yet it has many similarities. Both films are grounded in a high degree of realism, being very raw in their approach. They don't reveal all their cards on the table. Violence is present in both works, as well as some nudity, showing that Franco doesn't shy away from shock value. The classism and the division between rich/poor are also very much at the centre of both movies. But above all, there is always some ambivalence and decisions that leave us pondering in both movies. They are not narratively perfect films - both could go further in terms of plot and exploration - but they are films that stick in our minds.
Tim Roth does an excellent job here in a difficult role, and Iazua Larios and Charlotte Gainsbourg also contribute to this being firmly grounded. Franco films without haste but always with intention. He makes use of beautiful landscapes and a cinematography that occasionally presents stunning images, but the calmness apparent in his films always seems ready to end at any moment with the biggest bang. I would call it a blend of European cinema influences with a shock value characteristic of the American latitudes below the USA. Another work of him that I admire and certainly a career that I will explore more and keep an eye on what comes next.
Tim Roth does an excellent job here in a difficult role, and Iazua Larios and Charlotte Gainsbourg also contribute to this being firmly grounded. Franco films without haste but always with intention. He makes use of beautiful landscapes and a cinematography that occasionally presents stunning images, but the calmness apparent in his films always seems ready to end at any moment with the biggest bang. I would call it a blend of European cinema influences with a shock value characteristic of the American latitudes below the USA. Another work of him that I admire and certainly a career that I will explore more and keep an eye on what comes next.