“Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.” – IMDB
Aftersun is definitely an arthouse movie. If those aren’t your jam, then no judgment (I get it)! Just feel free to disregard the rest of this review and move along.
However, if you are willing to deal with certain elements of the arthouse, including long periods of silence, jarring edits, and strobe-light infused rave sequences serving as a metaphor for the distance between a father and daughter (yep, you read that right), then this film actually does strike an incredibly raw and touching note.
Aftersun follows eleven year old Sophie and her thirty-one year old father, Calum on one of their final trips together in Turkey. These parts are excellently and elegantly played by Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal, who do much with little. Despite working with little dialogue or any heavy momentum of the plot, Corio and Mescal make it clear that their characters despite father and daughter’s best efforts, the relationship between the two is fading. It is a heartbreaking story that touches on childhood, parenthood, depression, nostalgia, forgiveness, and understanding.
Although it can be uncomfortable at times, the emotion of this film slowly washes over you and I found myself unexpectedly crying at a few of its more quiet and tender moments. It is definitely an emotional and rather unusual watch, but one that has definitely stayed with me.
Rating: 8 out 10 Claire Bears
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If you like this movie, you should also watch: Supernova, Nomadland
Streaming: Available to rent on Amazon or Apple
With: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio
Directed By: Charlotte Wells
Let Me Clarify 