The Magic of “Aftersun” (2023)

Photo from MUBI.com

Simple moments on vacation between a father and a daughter is what “Aftersun” should be. Yet, in between those moments, there is something lingering. The weight of something bigger than just a vacation.

“Aftersun” (2023), starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio and directed by Charlotte Wells, takes place on a beautiful beach resort in Turkey. Mescal, who plays Calum, takes his daughter Sophie, played by Corio, on a vacation as a 30-year-old divorced dad. Sophie is at an age where she is on the cusp between childhood and adolescence, and the world around her is solemn and grownup. Through her lens, the angularities of the world and other such harshness has no effect on her just yet. As the viewer, it is difficult to separate Sophie’s childlike wonder and Calum’s efforts in being a good father.

Calum and Sophie’s Relationship

The love they have for each other radiates through every moment they share. Sophie is a playful, observant girl and it is clear she is an only child because she knows very well how to entertain herself. To Sophie, Calum is akin to a best friend. She does not notice his emotional turmoils, his smoking, his one too many drinks at dinner. She treats him as if he was a sibling, as if she is close to understanding him.

As for Calum, Sophie is his kryptonite. He loves her and wants to protect her, and it is easy to protect a young girl from potential boys who would dare take advantage of her. The scene that exemplifies this is when he teaches her Tai Chi in the hotel room and gets visibly frustrated when Sophie doesn’t take the lesson seriously. He becomes frustrated with her a lot, actually. If that stems from his insecurities of being a divorced father struggling to make ends meet or if it’s because of his mental health struggles, the movie treads onto both.

It is understood throughout the film that Sophie and Calum do not have a relationship in her adult years. The reason to that is unknown – and would it matter? This is a story seen through the ages of time – a father who leaves. The reason never matters. What matters are the moments on vacation, where Sophie is just a girl jumping into a pool while Calum beams at her. Moments at dinner where they gossip about the people staying at the hotel. Moments where Sophie knows that her father can’t afford dinner, an expensive Turkish rug or the scuba mask that she loses. For every tumultuous moment Sophie and Calum have, there is always reconciliation and understanding to go with it. A cycle that may never break.

Photo from newschoolfreepress.com
Necessary Nothingness

“Aftersun” builds up to an ending that never comes. It is an emotional embrace of a past that no longer exists. The evidence that this vacation exists is because Sophie excitedly picks up the camera and films her and Calum throughout the trip. Calum never loves to be filmed, but he lets her film him only for her sake.

The viewers do not know Calum and Sophie besides this snippet of them on vacation. Calum’s personal struggles are never explicitly stated, though you know they exist. Sophie’s relationship with her mother or her life back in Edinburgh is barely touched on. “Aftersun” is moments on a vacation that make up a larger story of Calum and Sophie. The person — the father — that Sophie knew on the trip is one she no longer knows. The very fact that he is known as Calum throughout the film and not just “Sophie’s dad” means he was always a separate entity from Sophie.

Sophie is exposed to things in Turkey that she will come to know very well in her future – femininity, sexuality and forced solitude. Not yet, though. And not in Turkey will she understand those things. Sophie reminds us of childhood pain — where bad things are inevitable, but there is still some time before the bad parts begin. Maybe that’s why “Aftersun” is as vulnerable as it is.

Calum may have very well succumbed to his fear of being a failure to Sophie, but she would have experienced Calum being the best father to her anyways, and that is something she will never forget.

“Aftersun” tells its viewers this: you will always be looking for love when you have been shown love. With the dialogue written, it is for the viewers to decide what to make of it. It won’t tell you, but it will show you.

The film may not resonate with everybody, but it is still nonetheless an important film between a daughter and a father and the complexities of such a relationship. It may be one of the most impactful films of the year – depending on who you ask.

“Aftersun” is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The trailer is available here:

Tweet @VALLEYMag your thoughts on “Aftersun”!

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