Review: Aftersun

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On the brink of adolescence, 11 year old Sophie (Frankie Corio) is on a vacation to Turkey with her father, Calum. (Paul Mescal) 

And that's it. That's the summary. This film doesn't really have a plot. We're just watching a father and daughter on vacation where he's clearly going through something that's never expanded upon, and she's growing up. We see older Sophie later on too, but not nearly as much as I expected. All the marketing material mentions adult Sophie reflecting on this trip she took with her father as if there's going to be additional context added to it, but there's none. She's in 2-3 scenes that are clumsily spliced in.

And after that glowing paragraph, I should point out that despite what its lacking, I actually enjoyed watching it. It's a strange feeling. I was never bored, I always yearned for more, and I felt comfortable in its repetitiveness. There's a sweetness about it. Even though I wanted more from the writing, I was fine with what I got.

I can see why this film has a lot of love for it, but I have to be realistic in what you're getting. It's not much, but hopefully it will find a spot in your heart the way it did mine.

Grade: B-

Comments

  1. thevoid99February 10, 2023 at 3:57 PM

    I do want to see this film as I am intrigued by it as I did see a short by Charlotte Wells last month on YouTube and it's also available on MUBI as I'm intrigued by it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 10, 2023 at 4:46 PM

      Ahh did it finally make it to U.S Mubi? It wasn't on there before my trial ended so I ended up renting it on Amazon. Worth the $5 at least.

      Delete
    2. thevoid99February 11, 2023 at 9:12 PM

      Actually, it was the short film that's on MUBI and free on YouTube.

      Delete
  2. ruthFebruary 12, 2023 at 8:46 PM

    Totally agree w/ your review, I also wanted more from this given the glowing reviews. I'm still a bit puzzled over the adulation over Mescal, but Frankie Corio is excellent here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 13, 2023 at 11:00 AM

      Yes! Frankie was great. Easily one of the best child performances out there at the moment.

      Delete

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