Written and Directed by Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells. Aftersun is a personal delicate tearful peak inside the memories of a woman. Who on her birthday in her early 30s is reminiscing about a special and probably formative two-week holiday to Turkey.
She had taken it with her father as she had turned 11. Some of these memories are coming back to her in dreams some are thoughts and others. She’s recreating in her mind while watching grainy camcorder footage from the trip.
The genius of Charlott Wells, Aftersun
Charlotte Wells doesn’t just get inside the mind of a 31 or 32 year old adult mature Sophie. She Parks herself and a notepad of sorts inside the viewer’s perception of what their own childhood was like. Asking us, “Are you really sure you’re recalling it correctly?” The line between ‘make believe’ and ‘your perception of reality’ fully undeniably blurred erased.
Paul Meskill as the father Callum who we only see as a young man trying to raise an 11 year old will break and mend your heart from within. The 1 hour 40 minutes run time of this film reminding us, that in order to begin a healing process first, the wound needs to be exposed, knowledged, and addressed.
Amazing performances of Frankie Courio and Paul Mescal
Frankie Courio’s Sophie is an electric performer. Seemingly unaware that she’s an actor in a feature film. Proficiently evoking pathos in the viewers just as the same her character is doing in her father. It’s a performance capable of intrinsically changing you as a person. Aftersun’s unique triumph is its ability to speak both to the adult you are right now and the child within you, the genesis is where you sprung from.
Actual movie starts, when the movie ends
Are you responsible for ending generational trauma? What cues does a parent need to pick on while raising a human? What do you do when you realize you may have unintentionally passed down your mental illness onto your child? Despite his best attempts Callum is not the perfect father, except his daughter Sophie is as all children are until adults tarnish their palace and Sheen leaving invisible scuff marks for the child to keep scratching at and if all goes well maybe polish off one day.
Conclusion
By making Callum a young father the film is making you think of how young your own parents must have been when they had you. How little they understood the world with the limited means and help they had. It gives you permission to finally forgive them for their errors.
