A Spanish settler, his Chinese companion, and a former Haitian soldier work together to bring high-quality silk production to early 19th-century Hispaniola, in this emotionally charged, politically resonant historical drama.
Set on Hispaniola in 1819, before the independence of the Dominican Republic, Under the Same Sun chronicles the attempt of Lázaro (David Castillo), a self-fashioned Spanish explorer, and his companion Mei (Valentina Shen Wu), a master silk maker from China, to bring high-quality silk production to the Americas.
The pair meet Baptiste (Jean Jean), a Haitian army deserter who’s living as a sort of hermit in Lázaro’s father’s home, and he offers to help them navigate the wilderness area they seek to tame. The three form a partnership and together face the challenges of the environment and changing circumstances, from the daunting jungle that seems to want to devour them to the violent French colonists who roam the rivers in search of people to subdue or eliminate.
As with his last two films, Tigre (TIFF ’17) and Carajita, director Ulises Porra brings his skills as a painter to his compositions. Here, he and cinematographer Sebastian Cabrera Cheli have created a lush and atmospheric visual style that enhances the unsettling nature of the characters’ struggles.
Following the trio’s quest to bring their venture to fruition in the tense cultural crossroads of the colonial Caribbean, the film unfolds with a mix of tragedy, absurdity, and empathy, ultimately providing a poignant portrait of resistance and redefinition. Investigating decline and desperation, dignity and intelligence, wisdom and ancestral knowledge, Under the Same Sun delivers an emotionally charged, politically resonant tale that surprises with its intimacy and insight.
DIANA CADAVID
Screenings
Scotiabank 13
Scotiabank 10
Scotiabank 5
TIFF Lightbox 4