“Aftersun” is a sensitive film that deals with the lines of a father-daughter relationship

It’s common to create a persona when we’re in front of the cameras, but what about when the camera in question is a camcorder that captures family vacations? “Aftersun” , Charlotte Wells’ first feature, wants to show that yes; it is possible to manufacture a facade even being in such an intimate environment. The film arrives this Thursday (1) in theaters.

The film tells the story of Calum (Paul Mescal) and Sophie (Frankie Corio), father and daughter are on vacation in Turkey for a few days and try to make the most of the trip. Calum is separated from Sophie’s mother, who, at the age of 11, is already starting to see the world through the eyes of a pre-teen. Her father is receptive, he makes an effort to create a connection with his daughter, but, little by little, the lack of connection he has with himself is perceived.

Divided into three acts that grow exponentially in rhythm, the feature features images from a digital camcorder, scenes with beautiful landscapes and flashes of a Sophie twenty years after the trip, reminiscing about her relationship with her father in a not very happy way.

During family vacations, therefore, we have the feeling that their relationship could collapse at any moment, not because they are rude to each other, on the contrary, it is a relationship of love and affection, but there is something indigestible in the coexistence of both.

Paul Mescal plays a young, somewhat carefree father who has sworn never to return to his home country. It is possible to deduce that he does not have a steady job and that he struggles to support Sophie financially. When a girl loses a diving mask, for example, she immediately apologizes: “I know how it was, man”.

Paul acts with little expressiveness, which works for the feature, but shows a small range of interpretation by the actor, summing up to the “melancholic man”, if we consider his previous works like “The Lost Daughter” (2020) and “Normal People” (2020).

Frankie Corio, on the other hand, is a welcome surprise. “Aftersun” is her debut work and the actress balances childhood and adolescence in a very mature way, deserving a film of her own; if “Aftersun” focused even more on Sophie’s growing journey, it would become even more interesting.

The focus, however, is different. It’s the unspoken, it’s the guilt, the fear of abandonment, the depression. However, none of this is explicitly discussed. The dialogues are simple: a father talks to his daughter, but it is between the lines of the words that the discomfort sets in.

The chosen environment helps the film to be immersive for the viewer, working as a guiding thread for the story. It is in the hotel doors, in the sea and on the pool table in the lobby that many of the details of their relationship unfold.

Blair McClendon’s montage is impeccable, with beautiful transitions that aim at the sky and the ocean, investigating the emptiness that exists, mainly, in Calum.

Finally, the film’s theme is simple, which leaves room for the viewer to think about what they’ve just seen. The mystery of the film, however, is not solved. The director allows us to delve into Calum and Sophie’s relationship, but only up to a point.

Sometimes, the concept of “leave it in the air” can be a little tiring in “Aftersun” because it has been applied several times throughout the film, but the emotion and reflection that the film causes make up for all the details.