Aftersun is a film that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll, capturing the fleeting nature of time through a deeply emotional father-daughter relationship. Writer-director Charlotte Wells’ debut feature is a work of remembrance that is overflowing with joy and pain, showing just how tenuous our connection to the past can be. The film takes us back in time to a holiday Sophie (Frankie Corio) took with her father Calum (Paul Mescal) twenty years earlier, where memories real and imagined fill the gaps between, as Sophie tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.
The film is filtered through Sophie’s eyes, and we see the world through her perspective. She is at the age where everything is new, and she is starting to make sense of it all. As the story unfolds, we see the quiet struggle of Calum, who is struggling to come to terms with himself and his role as a father. His is a complex character, and Paul Mescal brings him to life with haunting nuance. Frankie Corio, in her debut performance, is equally impressive, capturing the innocence and curiosity of Sophie.
Paul Mescal in Aftersun (Photo: Aftersun)
The film’s use of recurring home videos, playing out in extended sequences, adds to the sense of nostalgia and loss. Sophie is aware of the sadness swallowing up her father and wants to ask him about it, but often lacks the precise words to do so. The film creates slices of life, carving away moments that can only be preserved. The cinematic experience is breathtaking, with every technical element coming together to create something truly special. The editing is magnificent, maintaining movement that is mesmerizing and melancholic. The visuals dance across the screen in flashes of brilliance, stripping away barriers between form and feeling until they become one.
The film builds to an astoundingly beautiful ending, with the power to squeeze the life out of you until there is nothing left. It’s a sensory experience that is evocative yet precise, making clear just how in command of everything Wells remains. Aftersun is a film as precious as memory itself, and it will stand the test of time long after we are gone.
