Aftersun

An unknowable father and his child, sifting through a collection of memories trying to find the missing pieces; Aftersun is a puzzle as much as it is a movie– we the viewer are as much a part of the story as any of the characters. The nostalgia of the film is as magical as it is enthralling, and long after the final scene plays and the haunting rendition of “Under Pressure” ends, the viewer is left staring at the end credits finally understanding the piece as a whole.

Aftersun is shot simply, and this is the effect up and coming director Charlotte Wells is going for. Transitioning between video recordings and regularly shot film, the story follows a vacation taken by preteen Sophie and her father, Calum. We are led to understand early on that their relationship is as loving as it is dysfunctional, with Calum having been a teen father separated from Sophie’s mother. The two don’t spend much time together, and as one watches they can see how important this vacation was to the now adult Sophie who looms in the b-cam, watching these old videos and filling in the blanks in her memory. 

It’s not until the end of the film that the viewer finally understands exactly what it is that Sophie is trying to understand about her father, and that is the beauty of such a film. So much is left unsaid, but it is in that silence that the film finds its meaning. Paul Mescal earned his first Oscar nomination for his role, and newcomer Frankie Corio lit up the screen. If you haven’t already, Aftersun is an absolute must-watch of the year.