Aftersun – Film Review

Charlotte Wells‘ Aftersun is the kind of movie that, when it ends, you’ll find yourself simply staring at the television screen trying to process the wave of emotions you just went through in the short span of an hour and a half because this is a movie that takes you on a rollercoaster ride of them.

To tell you the truth, this is one of my the most emotionally impactful movies I’ve seen in an extremely long time. It documents the story of a young, eleven-year-old girl named Sophie and her father Calum taking a summer vacation to Turkey and trying to have the time of their lives while doing so.

Sounds quite simple, right? On paper, yes it does. But Wells’ film is absolutely jam-packed with scenes that are sure to bring you either to tears or close to it. There’s never that one scene in the film in which you’ll bawl your eyes out or anything like that, but rather, Aftersun is the kind of movie that once you reflect on it, you’ll find yourself getting emotional.

As the film goes on, the more powerful it gets. While on this beautiful vacation, Sophie slowly but surely starts to learn more things about the huge world she lives in and in doing so, starts to grow up. This movie stunningly captures the moment in a child’s life in which they realize that the world is out there for them to grab.

But what about the parents? What happens when your child wants to figure things out for themselves now, instead of you holding their hand through every stretch of life? Aftersun showcases these small moments in life beautifully, hitting every single emotional beat there is.

Paul Mescal does a fantastic job here in the role of Calum, a father who just wants to make sure that his young daughter has the best vacation of her life. He’s a friend, mentor, and just an overall good father here, and Mescal really lets his acting chops shine through.

There’s also, of course, Frankie Corio in the role of Sophie who’s a newcomer to the scene. How exactly that’s possible I’ll never know because here, she truly feels like a veteran of the craft. She genuinely felt like she wasn’t acting in any scene she was in. It just felt as though I were watching a child live out their life.

All of this is brought together by a wonderfully moving score by Oliver Coates and it’s topped off by some truly remarkable cinematography by Gregory Oke. The visual style of Aftersun is definitely one of the best of the year. Don’t be surprised if you see screenshots from this film posted all over the internet.

Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, brandishing an excellent script and terrific performances from Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio.