Aftersun Review

Aftersun is a coming-of-age drama from Charlotte Wells, serving as her feature film debut.

Calum and Sophie Paterson (Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio) are father and daughter who go on a holiday to Turkey. Whilst on holiday the pair bond, but also have issues due to Sophie befriending a group of teenagers, and Calum battling his personal demons.

Aftersun has been considered one of the best films of 2022. It has earned rave reviews from many publications and has been an awards darling. It won seven BIFAs and the French Touch Prize of the Jury at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. A24 distributed the film in the USA and Canada, whilst Mubi distributed it in the UK, Germany, India, and many other territories. Those are encouraging signs for film fans.

Aftersun was a film that was made for the indie crowd. It was a film rich with themes and character depth, but the narrative was loose. It meandered as Sophie made friends with the teens, became friendly with a boy her own age, participated in holiday activities with her father, and Calum dealt with his fluctuating mood. Because of this, Aftersun may be a hard sell for some audiences.

Wells’ directing style felt similar to other British indie directors, like Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Hope Dickson Leach, and Claire Oakley. Wells would probably be happy with being compared to a fellow Scot since Ramsay is so highly regarded.

Aftersun can be compared with Ratcatcher since they were debut films that focused on young characters, had different storylines that take place in a certain area, and had the occasional artistic diversion. In Aftersun’s case, there were moments showing Sophie as an adult dancing at a rave. Film studies students will mine Aftersun for years for their essays.

Aftersun had a naturalistic, fly-on-the-wall style. This was fitting because the framing device was camcorder footage that Calum and Sophie recorded over their holiday. This naturalistic approach allowed for some excellent acting. Mescal is a rising star because of his role in Normal People and Corio made her acting debut in Aftersun. Their interactions did feel like watching a real father and daughter.

Most of Aftersun was told through Sophie’s eyes. She was growing up and didn’t want to be seen as a kid. When Calum suggested Sophie should introduce herself to some other children she said they were kids and she got embarrassed by her dad when he put suncream on her and with his tai-chi. Calum was protective of his daughter: he didn’t want her to hang out with the teenagers and he was trying to teach Sophie self-defence.

The people around Sophie wanted to protect her innocence. Calum tries to keep his personal problems from Sophie even if it made things testy between father and daughter. It felt like a realistic portrayal of someone trying to hide their depression. Calum only let out his real feelings when he was alone. When Sophie was hanging out with the teens they joked ‘corrupting the youth’ when two of them were kissing in front of her. Yet there was probably an air of truth in that statement.

The film was told from Sophie’s perspective, a child’s perspective. She didn’t quite understand what was going on with her father’s mental state. Her child’s perspective was shown when she was in the toilet and hears two teenagers talk about one of them performing a sex act and they stopped talking when Sophie comes out of a cubicle.

There was a symmetry in the relationship between Calum and Sophie. Calum was the caring parent but as the film progressed Sophie had to act as a carer to her father. She replicated some of the actions Calum did for her.

Aftersun was wonderfully crafted with its themes, framing, and acting. Fans of British indie dramas will probably enjoy it but some audience members might find the story a bit too slight.