"Aftersun" - Closing Night Gala at the Belfast Film Festival 2022
At BFF’s Closing Night Gala, all attendees got to see one of the most lauded British films of the year - Aftersun, starring Paul Mescal (Calum) and Frankie Corio (Sophie). The director of the film, Charlotte Wells, is a Scottish director and producer, whose shorts have screened at different festivals worldwide. Earlier this year, the film also premiered as part of the “International Critic’s Week” during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a jury prize. To date, Aftersun has 11 wins and 27 nominations and it has been receiving praising reviews from critics ever since.
On the surface this is a simple story about a summer trip to Turkey, where a father and a daughter reflect on the shared joy and private melancholy of the holiday… there’ are lots of games of pool, trips to the arcade, karaoke nights. But there is this sense of melancholy throughout. Why do they feel sad? Something of a mystery is hanging over; we get little clues scattered throughout. Firstly, we get mysterious glimpses of a young woman on a nightclub dancefloor. Then we see flashing images of Sophie’s mom and dad meeting for the first time. The clues we get after that reveal seem to get more complex as the film progresses. Visually, there’s a mixture between beautifully crafted shots and grainy pixelated footage from the camcorder they both used, that shows the nuances in their father and daughter relationship.
Aftersun definitely reminds me of We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) by Lynne Ramsay, which is definitely worth a watch as well. In both films, we can see moments from the past and future, which help us paint the picture of unwanted conversations about difficult subject matters. Both Scottish directors created films that are incredibly bold, brave and push the boundaries of everyone watching.
If I could describe Aftersun with just a few words, they would be that it’s a story about reading between the lines. You definitely need to watch the film at least 2 or 3 times in order to get all nuances of the narrative.
For me, it is easily one of the best films of 2022 and an absolutely stunning debut for Charlotte Wells. It is one of the most ambitious projects of the year, as it was a directorial debut. I’ll be definitely anticipating Charlotte’s next project, whether it’s a short or a full length project.
📽 Aftersun is now playing in cinemas in UK and US 📽
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