Aftersun is a quietly subtle yet surprisingly powerful film. The rather simple story of a father and daughter on a vacation together doesn't go in for big dramatic moments and instead highlights little details, interactions between them and those around them, and the power is in the performances of the two leads who connect (and don't) in fascinating yet minute ways. By the end one feels the gut punch of this relationship despite never having a moment of intense dramatic explosion or emotional outpouring.
From first time feature director Wells, Aftersun finds this incredible language for connecting us to the inner worlds of its subjects. Wells crafts a masterful narrative between daughter and father which says little outright yet says so much. Her structure for her story is genius in how it connects all the dots. The film is charming and melancholy and gives you much to sit with as the credits role.
Relative newcomers Mescal and Corio are both strong, playing off each other quite remarkably. Mescal's character is a portrait of all the complexities of fatherhood, the failings and the striving. His final moments in the film practically had me in tears. But Aftersun's strength is always in its subtlety.
Aftersun is a stunning debut by a talented film maker, and two actors who have promising futures ahead as well.
Aftersun
Starring: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall
Writer/Director: Charlotte Wells
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