| Most People Die on Sundays | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Iair Said |
| Producer: | Nicolás Avruj |
| Starring: | Iair Said Rita Cortese Antonia Zegers |
| Music: | Franz Ascari |
| Cinematography: | Giovanni Cimarosti |
| Editing: | Iair Said |
| Runtime: | 73 minutes |
| Language: | Spanish |
Most People Die on Sundays (Spanish; Castilian: Los domingos mueren más personas) is a 2024 comedy-drama film directed by Iair Said.[1] It stars Said, Rita Cortese and Antonia Zegers.
The film is based in part on Said's own experiences after the death of his father. The cast also includes Juliana Gattas as David's sister.
The plot follows David, a 30-year-old gay man from Argentina who has spent several years attending school in Italy; returning home to attend the funeral of his uncle, he is plunged into an existential crisis when his mother Dora announces that she has also decided to unplug the life support that has been keeping David's comatose father, with whom David had a strained and distant relationship, alive.[2]
The film is an Argentine-Italian-Spanish co-production by Campo Cine alongside Patagonik Film Group, Disparte, and Nephilim.[4]
The film premiered on May 17, 2024, in the ACID program at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,[5] where it was a nominee for the Queer Palm.[6] It also made it to the 'Latin Horizons' slate of the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival.[7]
Ankit Jhunjhunwala of Screen Anarchy called the film affecting but marred by a slow pace, writing that "there is a lugubriousness in the bones of Most People Die On Sundays, even at 75 minutes. Not enough happens and the film feels like it was padded out from a short designed to be 35-40 minutes. Lethargic filmmaking in debut features is not at all uncommon and usually dissipates in subsequent films. Said’s emotional acuity, though, and unique vantage point make him a valuable new voice in cinema."[2]
Nicholas Bell of Ioncinema wrote that "while the mechanics of Said’s narrative are arguably familiar, it’s an interesting dissection of identities involving a gay, overweight, Jewish Argentinean of a particular age whose experiences growing up in a certain time and place have paralyzed him in a repetitive rhythm of arrested development. Exhibiting questionable behaviors, often which are self-sabotaging and prohibitive to his well being, Said brings this somewhat mournful portrait to a quietly moving grace note suggesting the silver lining of loss is a motivational reminder to the living."[5]