Aftersun: Film Review
Aftersun was one of my most anticipated films of LFF and it certainly didn’t disappoint back in October. It easily surpassed my high expectations and is currently my favourite film of the year.
The film switches back and forth between adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) and 11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio). The main action takes place in Turkey in the late ’90s, when Sophie and her young father Calum (Paul Mescal), who is only 20 years older than her, go on holiday before she returns to school. She lives in Scotland with her mum and doesn’t see him very much as he’s now based in England so they have to make the most of their trip.
The plot doesn’t sound like much but I’m being deliberately vague for spoiler reasons. Trust me when I say you’ll need tissues for this one – it is emotionally devastating. I had read tweets beforehand so I knew it was sad and for a while during the movie, I was like, “This is fine, why have people been crying?” And, boom, writer/director Charlotte Wells delivers an emotional blow that knocked me for six in the last five minutes. I quietly cried to myself as the credits rolled and again in the bathroom afterwards.
Usually, I like a lot of information about characters and their history, but I thought Wells gave us just enough to understand Sophie and Calum and love their father-daughter bond. I would have liked more details because I became deeply invested in these characters and I wanted to know everything about them but that wasn’t necessary. This is subtle and restrained and it trusts us to pay attention and understand what it all means without spelling it out.
For the most part, we are simply watching Calum and Sophie enjoy their holiday but the flashes to older Sophie hint that something darker is on the horizon. Some people may find it a bit slow as it’s not conventional or particularly plot-driven but I adored watching the moments of joy between Sophie and her father and learning more about his past (you really don’t get much on that front) and I felt a sweet hit of nostalgia seeing a ’90s holiday resort onscreen and hearing classic songs like the Macarena and Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping.
I was deeply moved by Mescal in Normal People and I knew he would bring the goods again in Aftersun. Calum doesn’t talk about himself much – he obviously wouldn’t tell his 11-year-old about dark moments from his past – but you learn so much from watching his face when Sophie isn’t there and he doesn’t need to put on a happy front.
As amazing as he is, the star of the show – the most impressive newcomer of the year – is Corio. She was picked to play Sophie out of over 800 applicants and you can see why. She is adorable, the camera loves her and she is so natural. I cannot state enough how brilliant she is. Corio blew me away with her performance – she didn’t seem like she was acting at all and made it look so easy. Her partnership with Mescal is a joy to behold.
Aftersun is a profoundly moving film that will stick with you for a while.
In cinemas from Friday 18th November