It's late 1990s at a holiday resort in Turkey. Sophie, played by the amazingly convincing young Frankie Corio (Bagman), is an observant 11-year-old girl and on vacation with her dad, who is about to turn 31. Calum is separated from Sophie’s mother and though he and Sophie share a loving bond, he is clearly struggling with something within.
They have fun playing arcade games and pool, go scuba diving (where Sophie loses an expensive mask, causing dad visible but suppressed stress), lounging by the pool and recording each other on their camcorder. As the holiday progresses, the film shifts between the past (so the actual events of the holiday in the 90s including the grainy pixelated video they shoot together) and the Present (31-year-old Sophie in her apartment, rewatching the tapes).
Sophie hangs out with some kids of her own age on the holiday - and some older - as they experience the coming of age process for her to see. She tries to join in a little by generating her first kiss with a boy her age. During this time we see dad practicing Tai Chi on the balcony in a trance-like state, smoking in secret - and at one point, walking into the dark, crashing waves of the sea at night. Dad is clearly very unhappy and struggling with his mental health, clues throughout, but putting a happy face on for his beloved daughter.
We jump back often to present Sophie, sat on her sofa, trying to reconcile her happy memories through the video with the truth about her dad that she was too young to see at the time, notably, now, the same age as dad was then. She is now able to see how unhappy he was and what the tragic reality was about for him, through the smiles. We see dad buying an expensive rug and 'pro' photo being done which he can't afford. We see him sat weeping, after the holiday, looking at a postcard he has written to Sophie (she's gone back on a flight without him, presumably, as planned). We see him sadly saying goodbye to her at airport as she fools around. Then, when gone, he turns again back into sadness and the oft-visited 'rave' in present-day Sophie's imagination in which she, adult, tries to get him, still 31, to dance.
There's not really any big reveal at the conclusion of the film and much is left to viewers to piece together - and I've probably given too much away here as it is. It's a film about grief and loss, anger, mental health issues, depression - the symbolism and atmosphere rich with the reality of the flickering (in the rave) memories and a broken man trying to hold life together. This is particularly symbolised by their last evening on the holiday together as she tried to get him to dance while Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie plays and we're encouraged to focus on the lyrics. It's sad, seen through the eyes of an 11 year-old's 'happy'.
Paul Mescal (Gladiator II, Hamnet, All of Us Strangers) plays dad as thoroughly convincingly as Corio does Sophie. Terrific performances, the pair. A poignant story of a man drowning whilst keeping the love of his life afloat. One which reflects that when it comes to mental health issues, many of us might not see the truth behind the facade of those right in front of us, particularly close family. (Aftersun, being the pain left behind following exposure, difficult to fix and recover from.)
It's a terrific film which you have to be in the right mood for - it's often slow and observational with long sections just 'hanging out' with Sophie and dad on the holiday, but with deep meaning and atmosphere beyond. Beautifully shot in terms of the location, sunny resort, littered (obviously) with handheld footage which they have been creating. Script is great, production super, direction and writing spot-on with Charlotte Wells stating that the story is "emotionally autobiographical" reflecting her own experiences with her dad. Recommended.
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