This is an astonishing debut film from British director Charlotte Wells. Aftersun (2022) explores a father-daughter relationship during a late ’90s holiday in Turkey, with some of the most emotionally devastating subtle ever put to film.
If you’re ready to watch head on in, it’s like a free therapy session. But brace yourselves, as its slow burner pace and nuances build to a psychoanalytical finale that you’re not going to forget.
Steel Your Nerves for Aftersun
The film this reminds us of is another modern classic in Leave No Trace (2018). In that, a father with PTSD is desperate to keep his teenage daughter in his life, but ultimately they must part ways.
Aftersun follows a somewhat similar, difficult father/daughter relationship. It’s also similar in how you must stick with it, as it’s a slow-paced film that only truly makes its devastating point towards the end.
It’s set in 1999 and follows 30 year old Scottish father Callum Peterson (Paul Mescal) and his 11 year old daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio). He’s split amicably from his wife and has taken their daughter on a holiday to Turkey. Sophie records a lot of the trip on Calum’s MiniDV.
They do standard holiday things, but it’s clear Calum is struggling personally. As the holiday progresses, Sophie starts to twig something is wrong, but is too young to understand the nature of her father’s issues.
Interspersed into their holiday trip is a strange, haunting, repeating montage of an adult Sophie watching her father in a nightclub, dancing as strobe lighting obscures him, his face often distorted in depressive ticks.
Later in the film, when it’s clear Calum is battling serious inner demons, in this dream sequence Sophie attempts to reach out to her father. They hug, but are then pulled apart. Up until that now famous scene, the film had been brilliant enough. But this pushes into all time classic status.
After that, the closing of the film reveals adult Sophie, now living in New York, sitting on her sofa watching the MiniDV footage of her 1999 holiday.
Everything suggests Calum is now gone, with Sophie finally grasping the nature of what her father was dealing with, just at a time when she can’t relate this to him.
That’s the film, then, told out over one hour and forty minutes. It’s difficult to describe the impact of all this, as typing it out doesn’t relay the full extent of what the film achieves. It’s best to watch Aftersun and experience it. As we’ve seen many online reviewers state it was an overwhelming emotional experience for them. One comment on YouTube sums it up:
“I don’t understand how a film with no actual ‘sad’ scenes can break me so much. By the end I could hear sobbing sounds in the theater and walking out with strangers talking about how moving this was felt so therapeutic. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry, it felt so primal the emotions this film has tapped into.”
It’s a phenomenal debut by Charlotte Wells and one of the best films of this decade. Another modern classic, as delivered by the ever-creative independent film scene.
The Production of Aftersun
Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are incredible in this film. Corio was one of 800 girls who auditioned for the role, her success helped by just getting on really well with Mescal. This was her first film role.
They spent two weeks hanging out before filming began, this way they could form the all-important bond we see in the film. They’ve become friends since then, which is nice when an adult and kid can get on like that.
Filming took place in Ölüdeniz, Turkey.
We should note, Corio is Scottish, but Mescal is Irish and had to put on his Scottish accent (working with a dialect coach to get all that spot on).
This was Wells’ feature film debut (as we’ve mentioned), with a semi-autobiographical focus across her script. The film is based on an experience she had with her father on a holiday, he later passed away when she was only 16.
We should note, too, the legendary director Christopher Nolan has cited the film as one of his favourites. As has Sofia Coppola! Good taste from those two, then.
Wells hasn’t directed a film since Aftersun. It made $9.7 million at the box office, plus got a load of awards recognition at the BAFTAs, so we do hope she’ll be back soon with a new project. Quality does take time, you know?
