{"id":12767,"date":"2022-09-29T22:49:10","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T02:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=12767"},"modified":"2022-09-30T22:32:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-01T02:32:40","slug":"nyff-film-review-aftersun-is-a-captivating-intimate-father-daughter-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=12767","title":{"rendered":"New York Film Festival : Review – \u2018Aftersun\u2019 is a Captivating, Intimate Father-Daughter Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a special bond that can exist between a father and daughter. What it looks like depends greatly on a variety of circumstances, including the presence of another parent or other siblings, and whether time together is a regular occurrence that is normal and expected or an infrequent delight that proves far too fleeting. Interactions may take on a different significance upon reflection in adulthood, and it\u2019s definitely possible to romanticize imperfect moments.\u00a0Aftersun<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0captures just that: a whirlwind two-person trip full of impactful memories and unpredictably changing emotions.<\/p>\n

The film opens on eleven-year-old Sophie (Francesca Corio) filming her father Calum (Paul Mescal), expressing that he is days away from celebrating his 131st birthday. The obviously much younger father has brought his daughter for a holiday getaway at a resort, where they interact as if they are both adults, and are in certain cases assumed to be brother and sister. Sophie plays a car racing video game with another boy her age and hangs out with a group of teenagers who appreciate her pool skills in between meals and other activities during which Calum and Sophie often just sit together in silence, taking it all in and basking in the relaxation.<\/p>\n

Aftersun<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is a remarkable feature film debut from director Charlotte Wells, who has a caring eye for the characters whose story she is telling. There is very little of substance that actually happens over the course of the film\u2019s 97-minute runtime, yet every moment still feels real and lived-in. There\u2019s no need for blow-up fights or earth-shattering real-world conversations when they have simple, spontaneous discussions about why Calum and Sophie\u2019s mother still say \u201cI love you\u201d to each other on the phone or what skills Calum thinks Sophie will need to possess to eventually become a self-sufficient adult. This film is a series of those genuine scenes, structured together with the dreamlike backdrop of their vacation.<\/p>\n

\"Aftersun\"
A24<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mescal, who is just twenty-six years old and has already turned in a handful of impressive performances in Hulu\u2019s\u00a0Normal People<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and two other festival favorites this year,\u00a0Carmen<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0God\u2019s Creatures<\/em><\/strong>, is incredibly natural as Calum, charming his daughter with his awkward dance moves and enthusiasm and then shifting seamlessly into a more sedated and uncommunicative state. He communicates a lifetime of experience with remarkably few words, making for a magnetic turn. Opposite him in her astounding film debut is the incredible Corio, who exhibits all the traits of a talkative, overactive child seemingly capable of tremendous maturity only to be shattered by a sudden discovery that she does not know where she is and doesn\u2019t immediately know who to ask for help.<\/p>\n

These two extremely capable performers, who should have extensive careers ahead of them after this film, are sensitively guided by Wells, who has a precise vision for her narrative that comes to marvelous life on screen. It\u2019s easy to become entranced by a film devoid of big or splashy moments, and frequent flashes of Calum and an adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) in a club with strobe lights only serve to make it feel more like a dream. Its lack of a proper or definitive resolution may frustrate some viewers but only serves to further underline the formative nature of experiences like this for Sophie, who may forever see her father in this way even if their relationship didn\u2019t always look the same.\u00a0Aftersun<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is an involving, intoxicating experience in itself, one that will surely have greater resonance for audiences feeling nostalgic about the time they may or may not have spent with their own fathers, revisited poignantly in this formidable acting showcase.<\/p>\n

Grade: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of Abe Friedtanzer\u2019s articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n