Pratchayatorn Russamee
A heartbreaking and emotional feature film about a beautiful bond between a young father and his daughter during their vacation. A fading memory expressed through a found-footage videotape filled with nostalgia.
Family Holidays
Aftersun starts by diving into the memory of a young divorcee father, Calum, and his daughter, Sophie, on a 1990s holiday in Turkey. 11-year-old, Sophie, is very smart and seems to look older than her age.
From her point of view, her dad is caring and doing his best as a father. She notices that he’s battling with something, but doesn’t know what it is or how she could help.
However, looking back as an adult, Sophie understands his sadness and wishes that she could have been there for him. In the end, the vague implication is, these two may never see each other again. And all that is left of their father-daughter bond is the video footage from their holiday.
Parents
When we’re young, we usually think that our parents are heroes, able to solve any problem. It looks like they can do everything. But as we get older, we realise that adults also have to deal with sorrow and difficult times.
An older Sophie realises that her father might not be the person she thought he was. Her adulting experience and feelings of nostalgia connect her character to the audience.
This film alludes to Calum’s trauma in his childhood, which is hinted at when Sophie asks him about his 11th birthday.
Calum wants to be a good dad, giving Sophie love and care, and raising her differently from how he grew up. The film portrays to us that we should have open conversations in our families. Where everyone can share whatever they feel like sharing much like when Calum tells Sophie: “I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything,”
Lying on the bed at the end of the day, Sophie responds to her dad: “I just feel a bit down or something.”
“Aftersun captures a fraction of the feelings we have to put aside when we grow up”
When we’re kids, we wish we could play and stay in a happy moment forever. Something we can recognise in Sophie’s post-holiday blues.
Aftersun captures a fraction of the feelings we have to put aside when we grow up and explores them through the innocent perspective of a child. When Sophie describes how she feels it breaks both Calum and the audience, Aftersun pulling sadness and nostalgia out of us all.
Artistic Excellence
Although this film tells a personal story, we as the audience may feel like we are experiencing Sophie’s memories too. Throughout the film, the screenplay, acting and music play a huge part in presenting childhood memories, adult mental health, and a coming-of-age narrative.
The subtleties of the screenplay make us feel as if we’re watching a spontaneous conversation between dad and daughter, but at the same time, it is emotional and deliberate.
“The sequence flows at a good pace, keeping the audience at pace with older Sophie as she dives into her memory”
The combination of incredible acting and genuine chemistry also makes us believe that Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are father and daughter.
This is Corio’s debut role, and she has already been nominated for best breakthrough performance awards at several film festivals. Mescal’s acting perfectly captures a glimpse of depression and broken spirit, while simultaneously showing Calum to be a kind and caring father.
The music in this film is carefully chosen, underlining the meaning of each scene and enhancing the acting. ‘Losing my Religion’ by R.E.M, played in the karaoke scene is particularly impactful in speaking out for Sophie’s character.
The editing in this film is also successful. The sequence flows at a good pace, keeping the audience at pace with older Sophie as she dives into her memories. In terms of cinematography, colour, composition, and photography, the film is gorgeous, well-crafted and perfectly fits the mood and tone of the story.
“[Wells] is a talented director whom we should keep an eye on”
The film is sensational. I was moved by the poignant and tranquil feeling the film left me with. And the room for interpretation will keep you thinking about it for days.
Though this film is the debut feature film of Charlotte Wells, her writing and directing are distinctive. She is a talented director whom we should keep an eye on. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her work in the future.
Aftersun is now screening in the UK and selected cinemas worldwide. It will later be released for streaming on Mubi.
Image by Pera Detlic from Pixabay. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
