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TIFF Review: Under the Same Sun (Ulises Porra, 2025)

Posted on
26 Sep 2025
by
Paul

Set in the island of Hispaniola in the year 1819, Ulises Porra’s Under the Same Sun (Bajo el mismo sol) follows a trio of characters who form an unlikely alliance as they work to establish a foothold in the silk trade under the shadow of colonialism.

Visually, the film unfolds slowly, with the camera tending to linger on certain shots, but while it does start out a bit slow, the story draws you in soon enough, following the journey of inexperienced Spanish merchant Lázaro, Chinese silkworm expert Mei, and former Haitian soldier Baptiste. The three of them, while having a tenuous bond at first, do clearly come to care for one another as they endeavour to get their silk factory underway.

There’s a scene midway through the film where Mei and then Lázaro try on Baptiste’s glasses, which is surely meant as a metaphor for seeing things through another’s perspective. Sadly, it’s a lesson that’s not fully learned by Lázaro as his greed and short-sightedness ultimately sabotage their plans.

Ostensibly the main protagonist, Lázaro is not a particularly likeable character, often making bad decisions based on his own self-interest and just generally being a product of his times. Yet, despite his bad decisions and unlikeable as he may be, the viewer can still have some sympathy for him (even while rooting for his comeuppance) as it becomes clear that he is essentially just a cog in the twin machines of capitalism and colonialism.

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