Review of Aftersun (2022) by Lisalr1 — 05 Feb 2023
AFTERSUN, written and directed by Charlotte Wells, is a reflective, bittersweet portrait of a lost father-daughter relationship. An adult Sophie, on her birthday, looks back at twenty year old film footage of the last summer holiday in Turkey when she was 11 years old spent with her estranged father, Calum, played by Paul Mescal in his recent Best Actor Oscar-nominated role.
Sophie (Frankie Corio) at age 11 is on the brink of adolescence trying to understand and come to terms with a father who is clearly loving, yet seems to be struggling beneath the weight of his life. Paul Mescal gives a realistic, tender and very understated performance, and young Frankie Corio is simply endearing as Sophie.
The film, co-produced by Oscar-winning Director Barry Jenkins ("Moonlight"), leaves it up to the audience to decide the fate of Sophie's father at the end of AFTERSUN. The sense of melancholy I felt while watching the film left me with the understanding that for Sophie, 20 years of loss seems a lifetime, while her memories feel like only yesterday.
This review of Aftersun (2022) was written by Lisalr1 on 05 Feb 2023.
Aftersun has generally received very positive reviews.
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