Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Under A Dark Sun’ Delivers Complex Characters

REVIEW: ‘Under A Dark Sun’ Delivers Complex Characters

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford07/12/20254 Mins ReadUpdated:07/20/2025
Ava Baya as Alba in Netflix's Under a Dark Sun
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Under a Dark Sun (Qui Sème le Vent), a Netflix French thriller mini-series, follows Alba Mazier (Ava Baya) as she flees from her past, only to stumble into worse problems. She becomes entangled in the tumultuous lives of the Lasserre Family, owners of a formerly prosperous flower farm falling on tough times and beset by internal strife. Wanting nothing more than to protect and care for her son Leo, Alba will do whatever it takes to keep him safe, even if it means burning down the entire Lesserre Family.

Crafting a thriller that maintains high tension while also keeping a compelling mystery is an impressive feat. Balancing the need of individual moments while never losing track of the whole takes care and precise storytelling. But when it’s achieved, it creates something memorable, and that’s what Under a Dark Sun accomplishes.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

As Alba is drawn deeper into the web of intrigue surrounding the Lesserre Family, the gears that turn the story at times feel chaotic, but come together to form a harmonious whole. As the revels began to play out at the end of the six-episode series, it seemed impossible that all the various strands would come together, but they do. What’s more, every explanation feels satisfying and oddly reasonable. 

Under a Dark Sun has wonderfully complex characters.

Under a Dark Sun Cast

One of the great elements that helps manifest the narrative’s complexities is its characters. There are few wholly innocent people in Under a Dark Sun, but at the same time, there are few entirely guilty ones as well. Wrongdoings from decades past are unearthed and inform the characters’ actions, making them feel fully realized and thought out. And nowhere is this complexity more present than in the series’ central figure, Alba.

It is often said that a mother will do anything to protect her child, but few fictional moms go as far as Alba does to prove it. Many of the characters’ choices are morally dubious, but always properly motivated. This creates a desire to root for the protagonist, even when she pushes moral boundaries. The extreme nature of the situation also helps to forgive the character, though not entirely.

Baya adds an extra layer of richness to her character thanks to her impassioned performance. As someone who enters the story already strained by the situation she was fleeing from, it doesn’t take long for the character to begin to completely unravel. Baya brings all the stress and pain of her character to life.

Ava Baya drives home Alba’s determination as the action takes its toll.

Under a Dark Sun

As Alba’s actions begin to cost her the very thing she holds dear, Baya drives home the character’s determination, while also exposing her vulnerability. In critical moments, Baya ensures that her character’s motivations are clear, and her emotional state is always on display. 

The other standout character is Alba’s son, Leo. As a child who has grown up in less than ideal circumstances, he shows a level of maturity that would be surprising in many children. How he confronts his mother at key moments gives the character a presence that’s hard to pull off at such a young age. 

But while he can see through things and process more than many his age, the writing never forgets that he is still a child. When threats, violence, and danger present themselves, Leo is always looking for his mother. Despite the struggles the pair faces, he knows she loves him above all else, and there is frequently a sense of safety brought to the character the moment Alba swoops in.

Under a Dark Sun’s visuals are often too withdrawn to fully capture the depth of the narrative.

Under a Dark Sun - Netflix Series

Despite how driven many of the characters and narratives are, much of Under a Dark Sun‘s presentation feels too withdrawn to do them justice. The camera work is often too distant to fully capture key moments. This regularly leaves the biggest scenes in a strange mixture of narratively satisfying, but visually underwhelming. 

The same is also true for the series’ score. While ominous music plays at the right times, it never fully commits to moments, often appearing more as a lingering thought at the edge of hearing, rather than an element that truly uplifts the show’s scenes. 

Under a Dark Sun delivers a multi-layered story that comes together in some aspects, but not others. The characters and narrative coalesce to form a tense and compelling tale that, however, never fully materializes due to presentational shortcomings. Despite these hiccups, it is a story well worth watching for thriller fans. 

Under a Dark Sun is streaming now on Netflix. 

Under a Dark Sun
  • 7/10
    Point - 7/10
7/10

TL;DR

Under a Dark Sun delivers a multi-layered story that comes together in some aspects, but not others. The characters and narrative coalesce to form a tense and compelling tale that, however, never fully materializes due to presentational shortcomings.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 2’ – “The Evil Eye”
Next Article Sink Your Teeth Into Terror: Shark Dentist Announced, Where Every Patient Can Be Your Last Meal
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Better Late Than Single
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Better Late Than Single’ Is More Than the Name Suggests

08/03/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 still from Apple TV+
8.0

REVIEW: Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 — “The Stress of Her Regard”

08/02/2025
Lerato Mvelase in Marked (2025)
9.0

REVIEW: Moral Dilemmas Battle It Out In ‘Marked’

08/01/2025
Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in Platonic Season 2
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Platonic’ Season 2 Is ‘Superbad’ For Grown-Ups In the Best Way

07/31/2025
King of the Hill Season 14 episode still from Hulu
10.0

REVIEW: ‘King Of The Hill’ Season 14 Is the Best Revival Ever

07/25/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 still from Apple TV Plus
8.0

RECAP: ‘Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “When a Book Finds You”

07/25/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

World of Warcraft The War Within Ghosts of Karesh But Why Tho Interviews

‘The War Within’ Patch 11.2 Addresses Raid Trash, Magic-Focused Comps, And More

By Mick Abrahamson07/31/2025Updated:07/31/2025

WoW Sr. Producer and Asst. Lead Quest Designer address The War Within 11.2’s Manaforge Omega, Reshii Wrap rewards, and Mythic+ balancing.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here