The Dark Side of the Sun (film)

1988 film by Božidar Nikolić

December 21, 1988 (1988-12-21) (United States)

Running time

101 minutesCountriesUnited States
YugoslaviaLanguageEnglish

The Dark Side of the Sun^[a] is a 1988 American-Yugoslavian drama film directed by Božidar Nikolić and stars Brad Pitt in his first leading role, as a young man in search of a cure for a rare and deadly skin disorder.

Director Božidar Nikolić picked Brad Pitt out of 400 candidates for the main role. Brad Pitt was very happy for the pick and was only paid $1,523 for seven weeks of filming in mainly Kotor, Montenegro (then Yugoslavia) in 1988.^[1] The movie was released directly-to-video in 1997.^[2]

Plot

Rick is a young American who has a rare skin disease that prevents him from exposing himself to any kind of light, especially sunlight, and is mostly seen as an expert motorcyclist, entirely clad in leather. After having tried several cures without success, his father takes him to a village in Croatia where they meet a healer, who is supposed to save him. But the treatment does not work and when a young American actress falls for him Rick decides to forget about his illness and enjoy life, feeling the sun on his skin for the first time. The disease takes its course but his father understands the choice he made.^[3]