Aftersun

Incredibly beautiful.
I feel like this is what by Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" aspired to be.

I love the type of slowness depicted: not done out of virtuosism for its own sake, but leaning in on the small, apparently insignificant moments like smoking in a balcony or washing hands - it was done beautifully, in a very personal way that allows you to _stay_ with the character for that second longer that allows you to really see him/her and what they're feeling. Or having that moment for you to fully experience your emotions as well.
So often a character is created through a sum of events and actions and words said, cut after cut - whilst you can learn so much from the silences! Such underrated empathic tool.
As much so as the camera focusing on the character itself (or some body parts: I loved Celine Sciamma's glance on hands in "Portrait of a Lady on fire" for example) as they're performing an action - focused, reading through them the emotions they're feeling rather than by showing the action itself. The bike videogame and the interview were brilliant instances.

The part I was astounded by, tho, was the mastery in showing how important a bond can be in making you pull out a better version of yourself you didn't even expect to be there: [spoiler] when Sophie says "happy birthday" on the bus, it's such a simple act and yet the pinnacle of many small ones that remind Calum of what's really life for[/spoiler].
As a personal note: never underestimate how you can affect loved ones, with a caring word of gesture or by simply being there

Such a movie needs a proper walk home after the cinema to let you thoroughly grasp the feelings it conveyed

Under Pressure hit me hard with this edit :(

What a great debut from Charlotte Wells. A heartbreaking story with an excellent Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio. Maybe I've already seen the best movie of this year. I wouldn't be surprised. Wow.

I first rated this 8/10, I really enjoyed it and it had me in tears at the finish.

I've been haunted by the closing 10 minutes of this film though, and it's forced me to come back to it several times. I just can't shake it, the storytelling throughout builds to a crescendo that is one of the most powerful pieces of film making I've experienced.

Any story that can have this level of emotional impact beyond its playtime is magical, hence my 10/10.

I think the rating I gave the film speaks for itself in terms of quality, but not in terms of what it made me feel. Because Aftersun isn’t just good… it’s devastating. Not in an explicit or sensational way, but through the weight of silence, the small details, the things left unsaid.

Men’s mental health has always been ignored. We grow up being told we must be strong, that we can handle everything, that our problems are ours alone and shouldn’t be shared. That crying is wrong. That feeling is wrong.

We’re taught to be the support system for others, to laugh, to make people laugh, to surround ourselves with company… and yet, at the end of the day, many men go to bed feeling a loneliness that’s slowly killing them.

Aftersun doesn’t advertise itself as a story about men’s mental health, but it’s there. It’s an intimate and quiet portrayal of what it means to carry a pain you can’t share. Watching the protagonist smile at his daughter while falling apart inside feels like watching so many men we know —or are— holding back tears out of fear of failing, of being a burden, of not being enough.

And even though we talk more about mental health today, the numbers still scream an uncomfortable truth: suicide rates keep rising, and most of those lives are men. We still don’t matter. We’re still invisible in our suffering.

We assume someone is okay because they smile, go out, make jokes… but how often do we actually ask someone, truly, how they’re doing? Not that automatic “how are you?” tossed around out of politeness, but a genuine concern. A real desire to listen, not just to tick a social box.

Aftersun made me think about that. About how no one really knows what someone else is carrying. About how, out of fear or habit, we avoid showing our sadness, our vulnerability, as if feeling were some kind of mistake.

I don’t like to split this between men and women. Mental health matters, period. But this film shows with brutal honesty something we rarely say out loud: men suffer too. Men feel. Men break. And often, they do it in silence.

If you love someone, don’t assume they’re okay. Hug them. Ask them. Tell them you love them. Don’t hold back those words. Life is a blink, and we never know if we’ll have the chance to say them tomorrow.

We live in a time where depression is a silent pandemic. And we need to build a culture where feeling is not a burden. Where crying isn’t shameful. Where speaking about our wounds isn’t seen as weakness, but as a deeply human act.

Because Aftersun isn’t just a movie. It’s a mirror. And sometimes, what we see there hurts more than we’re ready to admit.

Bloody hell didn’t expect to cry for a whole 15 minutes after the movie

This film becomes better every rewatch. Masterpiece.

Aftersun is one of those films that wants to remind you of how precious time spent with one's family is. In the film we see the relationship between a father and his daughter, who spend a vacation at a resort. Yes, it is a mundane and simple plot, but it is told in such a beautiful way. Seeing the father taking care of his daughter (and vice versa), seeing the two of them happily spending good times, made me smile throughout the film.

All opposed with scenes in which we see, in my interpretation, the father's depression, the unreadiness to have a daughter at such a young age for him. But despite everything, what matters most to him is seeing her smile, and that made me emotional.

Various scenes brought tears to my eyes, especially the final shot, when we realize that the two of them, after the vacation, never saw each other again, and all that was left for the daughter of her dead father were the recordings they made (my guess, the father committed suicide because of the weight of too much responsibility, perhaps? I don't know).

Incredible film, incredible debut by Charlotte Wells, catch it up.

9/10

Director Charlotte Wells' feature film debut really floored me. There is a sense of danger in the air throughout the entire runtime, so you always have the feeling of an impending catastrophe. This ensures that the very leisurely pace of the story never causes boredom. At its core, "Aftersun" is about a young woman who remembers a summer vacation she spent with her father when she was eleven. And it's obvious that she has something to process. The memories themselves are very warm and happy. But at the same time, they are shot with such an intangible sense of sadness that you don't even know what to feel anymore.

The film is carried by the two fantastic lead actors, Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio. They have great chemistry with each other and are both very good at conveying their feelings with few words. The look of the film is also impressive. Wells uses camcorder footage in a few places, giving it the feel of a vacation video mixed with memories. Furthermore, everything appears to be very authentic. Both the main characters' relationship and the hotel and other hotel guests feel real. I am sure that some viewers will look differently at their own childhood vacations after watching the movie. Last but not least, I have to praise the choice of music. It plays an important role in two places, and especially the song at the end is a real eye-opener.

I will certainly watch "Aftersun" many more times. For me, it is clearly one of the best and most emotional movies of 2022.

Sombre, melancholy, touching, simple.

Aftersun is a meditative experience that won't be for everyone, but those that love slowburn character studies and shoegaze storytelling will find much to sink their teeth into with this one, especially those willing to reflect and piece together all they can from this open ended story.

--- I will now ramble in full spoilers about this movie, so please don't read until you've finished the film! ---

[spoiler] I really enjoy the meta angle that Aftersun takes with it's storytelling. We're seeing this holiday from Sophies youth via snippets of home video and her own recollections of the trip. We're to assume, from the parts that we do see, that Sophies father is a very troubled man suffering from some kind of depression and anxiety. We see hints of a person doing everything they can to combat these afflictions by practising meditation, tai chi and consuming endless self-help books that we see scattered around the hotel room. We're picking up hints and clues from an adult perspective that would have been lost on a child, just like Sophie is rewatching the home video of this trip. We're never finitely told what happens to Calum, but we're to assume that Sophie never sees him again following this trip, so all we're left with is the deteriorating memories of a trip 20 years ago and a sporadic home video to try and piece together what was going on with Calum all those years ago. Was the broken wrist a failed suicide attempt? Why was he waterboarding himself in the bathroom with a towel? Why did he throw himself into the sea in an apparent attempt while on holiday on the eve of his birthday? Why, when money is seemingly an issue, is he taking his daughter on an expensive trip to Turkey and buying a very expensive rug? Is that the plan? Is this his final spending spree before the inevitable? [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Aftersun leaves you with the same incomplete feeling of a child left behind. What could you have done? What could you have changed? Was any of it your fault? Was there something you missed because you were too young and naive to see it? Maybe if I watch the home video one more time, I'll be able to gleam the real reason why he did it. And for that, Aftersun is a great piece of film. It's meditative and open ended, with no definite answer, but while most would say that's a negative, I think it is the movies greatest strength. As a child of the 90's, I know there are many home videos somewhere in my parents house of trips just like this one, and I'm sure when the inevitable day comes I too will scrub through those videos to try and understand my parents better when I was so oblivious and young.[/spoiler]