Shadow Fades in Aftersun

Release Date：Oct/21/2022

Genre：Drama

Director：Charlotte Wells

Cast：Paul Mescal、Frankie Corio

Viola's Rating：8.6

We all experience the moments that we feel we’re not fully understand our parents, about their past and about who they truly are, but we have created some beautiful memories and been through some bittersweet stories. Scottish director Charlotte Wells’ feature film debut Aftersun depicts the piercing and precious bonding between a parent and a child. It was released limited on Oct 21, 2022 and is critically acclaimed.

Inspired by the director’s own childhood memories, the plot of Aftersun is mainly about the protagonist Sophie (Frankie Corio) reflecting on the private sadness and shared joy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years ago. As she tries to immerse herself in the imagined and real memories, they fill the gaps between the father she knew and the man she didn't know...

Throughout the film, we can tell that Calum, Sophie’s dad, is a caring and loving father, but he is not necessarily a good role model. He became a father at a young age, and maybe he wasn’t ready himself, but whatever the reason is, from his behavior during his and Sophie’s holiday, it’s obvious that he is still that irresponsible young boy. Although he tries hard to hide his sorrow, the little Sophie still senses a little bit, even though it’s still far less than the reality.

Dancing symbolizes the highlight of Sophie and Calum’s holiday, including how Sophie finds Calum’s dance moves awkward, the process of the adult Sophie trying to figure out what’s wrong with her dad and the most heart-breaking part, their last dance. Dancing should be cheerful, but in Aftersun, it not only displays contented moments, but also embodies a big part of Sophie’s memory of her dad.

Aftersun includes a bunch of home video clips. They’re like time capsules, enveloping Sophie and Calum’s wonderful memories. Precious moments are captured both in and out of the camera frame, including the words unsaid and the goodbye that’s never been said.

Even though the trip in Aftersun is the last happy memory Sophie and Calum had shared together traveling, it isn’t perfect, but everything they experience during the trip even the imperfect is the fundamental part of travel. When looking back, an imperfect trip is usually the one that people keep in mind.

When Calum and Sophie go on the trip, Sophie is about to enter adolescence. She’s curious about everything and is starting to explore young love. There are several touching moments in Aftersun that represent Calum’s concern and that he does notice the subtle changes on Sophie.

Aftersun merely tells a travel story, but the emotion and relationship hidden underneath it are so strong that they linger after the audience watching the flick.

Picture Credit: IMDb