At this point, I will watch anything that A24 puts out. From Hereditary to Uncut Gems to Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, even if I don’t fully understand or enjoy every one of their films, I always leave with something to think about or am impressed by a new film technique I’ve never quite seen done before. Aftersun was one of those films that even though I didn’t fully grasp everything the film was striving for while I was first watching it, after some thought, I realized how the subtle performances and simple plot create a quite complex and moving story. Although it was nominated for Best Lead Actor, I feel like this film went widely unnoticed in 2023, so hopefully, this article brings a little more light to the piece.
Aftersun starts off seeming like a pretty slow-moving movie. It doesn’t feel like a modern-day film. In comparison to the fast-moving, catchy dialogue often found in Hollywood today, the mostly improved script and still camera shots feel like a breath of fresh air. The first scene really teaches the audience how to watch it. A single shot lasts several minutes, with a young girl, Sophie, sleeping on a hotel room bed while her father, Calum, smokes outside. Nothing major seems to happen and not much is explained about the circumstances, but the audience learns more as the film progresses. We later find out that Sophie and Calum are on vacation at an all-inclusive resort. They go on excursions, sing at karaoke, and swim in the pool. But all the while, there’s this never-ending and inexplicable feeling of unease.
The film continues to give the audience one piece of the story at a time. Calum is divorced. He states he’s surprised he lived past 30. We see him chain-smoking outside the hotel room while Sophie is sleeping. Nothing in-your-face awful, but enough to hint that this vacation isn’t the wonderful, worry-less time it was intended to be. While all this is going on, there’s also an underlying tone of Sophie struggling to grow up and grasp what it means to be a child versus an adult. She doesn’t say much, but the many shots of her observing teenagers kissing, children playing, or people ordering liquor from a bar imply her interest and curiosity. Both characters are struggling to find themselves and at the same time spend time with each other. It’s a fascinating and captivating dynamic.
To be entirely honest, I don’t feel like I fully understood everything that happened in this movie. I picked up on some of the subtle undertones, but I’m sure there were many other components that I didn’t even recognize on first viewing. So many scenes made me feel emotional, but I couldn’t even describe why. That’s one of the many reasons I love A24’s films. There’s so much to unpack in every single one and Aftersun is definitely one of those pieces that deserve a rewatch. I believe Paul Mescal’s performance as Calum is absolutely deserving of an Oscar and I truly hope he gets the recognition he deserves. Aftersun is a quiet, soft-spoken film with big emotions and an even bigger heart that will most likely bring a tear or two to your eyes, even if it doesn’t entirely make sense.
