by D. Movieman
“With time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes satin.” – Maltbie Davenport Babcock

From the unforgettable, joy-filled memories of my childhood, knowledge and learning
emerged from a variety of sources. One such experience came through the computer
CD-ROM Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? Spurred on by the Chief of ACME
Crimenet (brought to life by the late, great Lynne Thigpen), players must travel through
time, hunt down Carmen Sandiego and her henchmen, and undo the damage they’ve
inflicted on the course of history. One particular mission involved meeting Kublai Khan
and Marco Polo in Mongol China 1271. A core piece of this mission also involved
securing mulberry leaves for a weaver’s silkworms. Naturally, it’s here that I learned
both how silk was made and the history behind it.
So, you can imagine my delight realizing this same history was an underlying focus of
Ulises Porra’s Under The Same Sun (Bajo el mismo sol). Set in 1819, the film follows
Lázaro, the timid son of a Spanish merchant; Mei, a determined descendant of silk
producers; and Baptiste, a Haitian army deserter. As their paths cross, their combined
efforts to cultivate silkworms in Hispaniola become a test of perseverance, survival, and
power in a rapidly changing world. The first element worth noting is the environment of
Hispaniola itself. It’s become a bit of a critical cliche to say that ‘the land is a character
all its own.” While some of that truth is evident here, the role that Hispaniola plays in the
lives of Lázaro, Mei, and Baptiste is far more foundational. Their livelihood, their hope,
and even their very existence is at the mercy of this land.

Shot on location in the Dominican Republic, the work of cinematographer Sebastián
Cabrera Chelin is nothing short of visual brilliance. It’s all the more remarkable
considering an unexpected storm swept through the Santiago Rodriguez set two days
before shooting. While I can’t imagine the toll this took on the creative team, that sense
of fragility and vulnerability seems to parallel the story’s thematic tension. How can a
silk operation be cultivated in the midst of an unforgiving and demanding landscape?
What dangers, seen and unseen, are hiding in its depths? The answers to those
questions are eventually revealed, and to devastating effect.

Visually, I could envision myself spinning the film’s reel, stopping, and still landing on an
unforgettable scene. Yet the moments where the silkworms and silk weaving take
center stage carry a different kind of vibrancy all their own. Naturally, part of their impact
does stem from the narrative weight that they carry in shaping the fortunes of Lázaro,
Mei, and Baptiste.

Nevertheless, there’s a beautiful enchantment in seeing the silkworms fulfill their natural function. It’s delicate, beguiling, and fascinating all at the same time: a reminder that the natural world carries a magic of its own.
As Ecclesiastes states, “a cord of three strands is not easily broken,” and the
performances of David Castillo, Valentina Shen Wu, and Jean Jean easily prove this.
Their shared dynamic and chemistry as actors and characters is one of the film’s
strongest assets. As the most unlikely of trios—a self-fashioned Spanish explorer, a
Chinese silk weaver, and a Haitian army deserter—they are bound together by
circumstance but caught in the crosscurrents of a violent and turbulent past. Notably,
Ulises Porra’s screenplay spotlights the storied history of Haiti, recalling the legacy of
Jacques Dessalines and the Armée Indigène through the eyes of Baptiste.
It is somewhat disappointing, then, to see the film’s narrative depth undercut by a
curiously opaque third act and ending. Even so, Under the Same Sun is a stunning and
refreshingly bold piece of filmmaking. Looking back, traveling through history as a
young “Time Sleuth” brought me incalculable lessons. As an adult, I appreciate being
given similar lessons—not just in facts and information, but through the lens of an era
rarely seen onscreen.
Rating – 7.5/10
Note: This review is based on a screening at the 2025 Toronto International Film
Festival. Under The Same Sun does not yet have a confirmed release date.