Under a Dark Sun Review

Director: Marie Jardillier and Edouard Salier
Date Created: 2025-07-09 22:43
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Under a Dark Sun Review: This six-episode French thriller series Qui sème le vent tries to mix family secrets, criminal histories and twisted power games in a mystery enacted on a rose farm. Created by Nils-Antoine Sambuc and directed by Marie Jardillier and Edouard Salier. The series stars Ava Baya, Isabelle Adjani, Louise Coldefy, Guillaume Gouix, Claire Romain and others. Each episode is about 45 minutes long and is full of high drama and suspense. But is it worth it?
Under a Dark Sun Review
Under a Dark Sun on Netflix is a suspenseful mystery. And in episode one, I was actually engaged. There’s Alba, a damaged woman with a dark past who is trying to start anew in order to support her son, Leo. She takes a bizarre job to work on a flower farm and becomes embroiled in a rich family’s drama after a murder sends shockwaves through all their lives. The premise was there — it seemed like a lot was going to happen. But as I continued on, my intrigue turned to confusion and, to be honest, frustration.

Under a Dark Sun series’ greatest flaw is that it scatters itself too far, in little time. Five twists are tossed in almost every episode. Someone is killed, someone disappears, someone else is discovered to have a secret persona — it never lets up. This breakneck pace was initially thrilling. But before long, I found myself confused. New twists were being introduced every few minutes, but the show hardly paused to analyse them. Some characters would make a surprising gesture, and before I could grasp the reason, the plot had already moved on.
The writers were just trying to shock the viewer rather than tell a meaningful story, and that’s where I lost interest in the French series Under a Dark Sun. Twists are wonderful when they make sense — And here, a few of them seemed senseless or hard to swallow. One minute I was sitting there trying to piece together who killed Arnaud, the next we were getting scenes of characters digging through secret passages and snuff rooms. It just felt sloppy.

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Nevertheless, I must admit that the acting was good. Ava Baya, who takes the role of Alba, contributes a lot of emotion and strength to the character. I felt her desperation as a mother fighting to keep her child safe. Guillaume Gouix and Louise Coldefy also gave good performances, although their characters were not always well developed. Isabelle Adjani, who played Beatrice, had a commanding on-screen presence, but her character remained underutilised. I waited for her to contribute more significantly to the plot, but that never occurred.
And as for the mystery, Netflix’s Under a Dark Sun had all the dysfunctional family, secrets buried deep, a farm business with hidden secrets, and a dark past leading man. But it was also built in such a way that it was hard to get invested. Too many people knew too many secrets, and the payoff never seemed worth it. By the time I learned the actual murder, I was too exhausted to be surprised at all.

What really annoyed me the most was the ending. Without spoiling anything, I will simply say that the final episode was rushed and confusing. But instead of giving us any kind of resolution, it just left us with more questions. Some of the characters just disappeared into thin air without explanation, while some of the plot threads were just dropped. The writers were in a hurry to wrap the story up, even though it didn’t make sense. I was especially disappointed at some of the emotional scenes being glossed over, most especially those scenes between Alba and her son.
All that being said, Netflix’s French thriller Under a Dark Sun feels like it doesn’t trust its own characters and concepts enough to take its time and really tell a story. Instead, it speeds through everything in a desperate attempt to shock viewers. And that’s a shame, because the central concept—of a woman trapped in a deadly game of inheritance—could have been really powerful if approached with more care and attention to focus.

Netflix Under a Dark Sun Review: Summing Up
Under a Dark Sun, aka Soleil Noir, is plagued by ‘too many ideas, not enough focus.’ It gets off to a great start with good characters and a sharp look. But it is so mired in its own rumblings that it never really gives its characters or its audience any opportunity to catch their breath. If you want a simply enjoyable mystery, you may not have found it here. If you can abide frenzied dramas with as many unexpected twists, it may be your cup of tea.
Under a Dark Sun 2025 is streaming on Netflix.
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