Aftersun
At a fading vacation resort, 11-year-old Sophie treasures rare time together with her loving and idealistic father, Calum. As a world of adolescence creeps into view, beyond her eye Calum struggles under the weight of life outside of fatherhood. Twenty years later, Sophie's tender recollections of their last holiday become a powerful and heartrending portrait of their relationship, as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't.
- Released: 2022-10-21
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Genre: Drama
- Stars: Frankie Corio, Paul Mescal, Celia Rowlson-Hall, Sally Messham, Ayse Parlak, Sophia Lamanova, Brooklyn Toulson, Spike Fearn, Harry Perdios, Frank Corio, Ruby Thompson, Ethan James Smith, Onur Ekşioğlu, Cafer Karahan, Kayleigh Coleman, John Stuifzand, Tyler Mutlu, Kieran Burton, Nijat Gachayev, Sarah Makharine, Erol Cengizalp
- Director: Charlotte Wells
Comments
- zoligreyiyi - 31 May 2024
I wish I loved this movie
I frequently see images of the movie on Twitter/X, and I wish I liked it, its aesthetics, its message. I'd really like it to speak to me the way it seems to have spoken to so many people, but I find it empty, ambivalent and falsely touching.
The father's character was unpredictable. Scenes that were meant to stir my emotions made me feel uncomfortable or frightened. Maybe that's the only reason I saw the film to the end: the belief that something would happen. In vain.
It's a real waste, as the actors were talented, but the screenplay and direction were too haphazard. I have no memory left of the film, only a feeling of disappointment. - Malloy873 - 16 March 2024
Utterly awful
In 335 B. C. the 3 act structure was created and 2357 years later aftersun completely defaecates all over that idea presumably it knows best! At first you think it's just messing with the formula and that instead of the 1st act being the shortest one of a movie of which is the tried and tested formula, the first act will take up more than half the movie but then it will confirm it it is to tell any kind of story. But no, it turns out the there is no acts and there is no narrative either. I only watched till the end as I'd heard some veiled comments that something (hopefully interesting) might happen but I can honestly say it didn't and if I missed something then it's absurd because that level of subtlety is not going to get you anywhere. For ther record I'm and artistic person not the most in the world but I would say amount the top 10% as in I bother to go to galleries and look have an open mind... but showing prolonged scenes where the viewer can't tell what's going on visually is not good cinema! - lottiewildblood - 17 February 2024
Beauty in the truth
Thought provoking, attractive colours and told the truth. Follows the story of a single Dad and his daughter on holiday in Turkey.
Paul Mescal received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a 30 year old father grappling with his age while his 11 year old daughter grapples with hers too. They both try to understand their positions in the world as she struggles with growing up while he feels that he hasn't completed what he wants to achieve and that there is no forward progress. Sophie, Calum's daughter, watches back the home video footage to try and understand her father's world (and maybe his depression) as we flit between present and past day. - reisenachjerusalem - 9 January 2023
It wasn't meant to be liked, it was meant to be understood
This film feels like it was made to be divisive. I can see why some people would despise it and call it slow, however I can also see why others would say how it is extremely moving. I am in the middle of that.
During the film, there isn't too much plot, and deliberately so. It focusses more on the relationship between the father (Mescal) and his daughter (Corrio). While watching it, there isn't too much excitement or disruption, but after processing it at the end it all makes sense. Some scenes (for example one of the first scenes where Mescal is smoking a cigarette for a solid minute) feel too drawn-out, but after knowing why this is done I can't blame the director for it.
Obviously the performances in this movie are fantastic, with Mescal's Scottish accent being spot-on to the extent when me, an Irish person, forgot he was Irish. Corrio also has a long career ahead of her, what a breakout role to have.
On the whole, Aftersun was a film that doesn't have the most engaging viewing experience at first, despite the holiday aesthetics, but it does capture the tension of a compromised family holiday, with joy in the small moments but pain in the boredom too. It is worth watching because the ending contextualises the relationship. - joehenley-26606 - 3 January 2023
I've never felt like this after watching a film before aftersun.
It's a very simple film, you're not going to get dialogue like a Tarantino film with quick comebacks or even a 90s style monologue of emotions. It's subtle and through this it gets much closer to reality than most films can. The obvious example of this is how Wells' script creates the absolute believable dialogue between a child who is just starting to see that her parents maybe are not perfect and a man who is struggling on a multitude of fronts but is keeping it together for his daughter. It is this realism of the film that is so effective in delivering the emotional gut punch of an ending. Everybody has felt this immense sense of loneliness and you can't help but dread what you think you know is coming. Personally I'm a person who keeps cinema and reality separate and if I do cry at a film it's maybe the odd tear but I have never been unable to stop crying and this is what this film did to me which is a testimony to the fantastic storytelling. - michaelrthomson - 28 December 2022
A point for each actor and some of the cinematography
So I think Paul Mescal has lots of potential as an actor, his delivery is always thoughtful and there is something decidedly normal about him, he's not over done in any way shape or form, he's just a guy, who acts well and you know, is relatable...
The girl in this, unknown, never heard of her, and she was fine, she played a role.... nothing stood out as exceptional to me, and nothing said terrible actor with no potential for the future.
Regrettably the same cannot be said for the story, i don't usually do this sort of retrospective any more because its all just a tad boring, and been done to death, aren't we all just a little tired of retrospective women with an axe to grind and most certainly that seems to be what the plot summary of this is about...
What actually happens though is a great big pile of nothing, like literally just nothing, there was one scene toward the end with the girl as an adult, in bed with a woman because you know, have to tick that diversity box, otherwise, its a story about a seeminly drunkard and elusive father and his ever so trying to be grown up 11 year old daughter on a very boring resort holiday in Turkey. I kept thinking it would transpire that they were at the scene of one of those resort massacres back in the 00's, but nope, nothing but a lot of drinking, swimming, moping about, more swimming, a mud bath, more beer, more meals..... i don't really see what the point of this was, i mean if you want to watch resentful brits on holiday, there are way more amusing ways to do that, not least of which would be to jump on an easy jet flight to spain or somewhere and listen to the brits grapple with non-english speakers by assuming that yelling everything breaks all language barries, and of course like australians, they also love a drink and spend nearly all of their time on holiday drinking, eating and yelling....
So yeh, its a movie where absolutely nothing happens, not a single thing of any merit that justifies its existence. I'm sure the arty types will adore it for something or rather, but we average every day joe types, well you know, at 50 years of age there are better uses for two hours of our time,, afterall time is growing limited and spending it on a film where nothing happens is not a good use of the diminishing time we have. Sorry Paul, i imagine this was appealing to being, but somewhere along the way your nice guy easyness just accepted a film that you should have passed on. - sam_muleadams - 22 December 2022
Stunning
Very few films leave you haunted. This movie hasn't left me. The narrative appears linear with very little plot until a couple of poignant moments rip your heart out of your chest. For a debut this incredibly confident film making. It feels very personal. The protagonists are spot on. There are a lot of unanswered questions but that is credit to the direction and writing in how it makes you be involved. For me this is a brilliant accomplishment that will no doubt be ignored in favour of larger budgets and bigger names. Talent this raw should not be ignored in my opinion but would probably be spoilt given unlimited resources. - vedvaghela - 18 December 2022
A difficult film to review
That 8/10 is a completely arbitrary rating because to be honest I'm not quite sure what is a correct rating for a movie like this.
Aftersun revolves around the relationship of a father and daughter. Calum, the father, is separated from Sophie's (the daughter) mom and it's the holidays so he has her for the time being and they both take a trip to Turkey.
The film is well paced, never once feeling boring even though much of what we see happening seems normal and simplistic. This film also takes the "show don't tell approach" and drives it to a hundred. This film has multiple different interpretations that goes to show that this approach worked wonderfully.
After finishing the movie, I was left with plethora of emotions and thoughts which I have trouble putting into words. It's a highly realistic portrayal of depression and how seemingly normal events have a sad undertone to them. How suddenly this movie makes you switch from having a smile on your face to tearing up is downright fascinating.
For a debut feature, this film is beautifully and intelligently shot. Some scenes that are vital to audience's understanding of the character or the story have been shot in a such way that has a flair to it. Also, this film makes excellent use of old time camcorder footage (which is integral to the story) by putting the viewer in the seat of the person who is recording this and get a sense of what they might be going through.
I think this is the only film that has made me feel uneasy and increased my heartbeat with simply the acting (no special sound or video effects) and in my view, it's a stunning achievement.
And the actors triumph in this film. Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are absolutely amazing and are the driving force of this film. Mescal, in particular, has an articulate manner of showing rumination and sadness, that makes the film all the more complex and layered.
Overall, this is a highly recommended watch and definitely one of the top films of this year. - gpxxpzr - 7 December 2022
Touching, raw and nostalgic. A true gem.
Loved this movie. So little happening but so much happening. Well worth going to see in the cinema with its minimalistic and impactful directing. Just a beautiful piece of artistic cinema can't recommend enough! Performance from Paul Mescal was captivating! Who plays tortured soul characters better than him? No one I tell you.
Loved that it left so much to the imagination. Built up tension all throughout I actually felt uncomfortable at times because of it. Zigs when you think it's going to zag and just makes you think all the way through. One of those movies where it's really up close and personal to the actors and you forget it's a movie. Brilliant! - andrewchristianjr - 24 November 2022
BITTERSWEET.
Heartbreaking... or a bittersweet reflection of a memorable moment in time? Your choice! There was so much to love about this movie, especially the two protagonists and their loving yet imperfect relationship with one another. After 90 minutes of spending time with them and "living" in their experiences in an intimate way, I was very emotionally invested in this father and child. Yet, although hints of an anguished story relentlessly thrummed in the background, the story remained a tightly guarded secret. Reviewers have lauded this, but I felt dropped like a hot potato. Not that I needed back story, a narrative, or a neatly spelled-out denouement. But the repeated, entirely enigmatic "dream" sequences (if that's even what they were) and the "it's-anyone's-guess" ending left me feeling cheated and wondering why the writer and filmmaker chose to do this.
