Sundown

Tim Roth stars in this contemplative, elegiac drama about a man who makes a seemingly heartless choice when his family experiences tragedy on vacation.

Neil Bennett is a strange man who makes a strange choice.

In “Sundown,” we follow him for 82 minutes as he ambles around Acapulco, seemingly without any kind of plan or motivation. We find ourselves hating him at first, but over time gradually less so, until he eventually becomes a figure who, if not exactly sympathetic, at least seems fully human, flawed like the rest of us.

Neil (Tim Roth) is vacationing at an exclusive resort with his sister, Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and her two college-age kids, Colin (Samuel Bottomley) and Alexa (Albertine Kotting). It’s the sort of place with infinity pools, endless margaritas, daily massages, and a whole lot of lounging in the sun.

Hint: when nobody ever asks for or talks about money, it’s because the guests have gobs and gobs of it.

Then, an unexpected tragedy strikes: Alice and Neil’s mother suddenly passes away, so they quickly decamp to the airport to fly back to London for the funeral and other arrangements.