While we are living in a complicated period all over the world, between Covid, inflation, war in Ukraine and earthquake in Turkey, Charlotte Wells releases her first feature film: Aftersun. Produced by A24, a production company taking more and more place on the Hollywood film market, Aftersun is perfectly among the best films of 2022.
A film that feels good.
Aftersun, is the story of a bric a brac of memories, intertwined with each other, of Sophie (Frankie Corio) 11 years old, on vacation with her young father, Calum (Paul Mescal).
The characters depicted are very complex. We mainly follow the point of view of a growing girl and a father, plagued by depression, although he hides it as best he can from his daughter. All in an idyllic, almost paradisiacal setting. We discover the characters as we go, with a montage playing with a worn camera: Sophie’s camcorder, almost playing the role of a diary where she tells the adventures of her holidays. to the sea. We quickly identify with the characters, probably because we only discover them end to end. Finally, Calum and Sophie are average people, that we could meet anywhere on vacation. And yet, they are unique, their relationship is fusional despite some slippages. Relationships of complicity father-daughter are quite rare in cinema and often awkwardly staged. It is therefore quite pleasant to see a simple and yet so special scenario. But writing good characters is not enough to make a successful film. You also need a cast that can bring them to life. And this is the case of Paul Mesca and Frankie Corio who were able to interpret their characters so brilliantly that it earned them many nominations, including an Oscar for Paul Mesca as “best actor”, widely deserved.
To conclude, this film is an excellent start for Charlotte Wells (even if several short films had been made before). Aftersun was also presented at the Cannes critics' week, so we can only look forward to his next films. In the meantime, Aftersun is still playing in several cinemas.
(source image: https://www.semainedelacritique.com/fr/edition/2022/film/aftersun )
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