Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun is full of a specific, sun-drenched sadness that’s pretty hard to forget. The movie, which has since become a modern classic, is like a high-definition autopsy of a memory. The director walks the thin line between what we remember and what really happened, creating a story that feels like trying to develop a picture in a room that’s slowly catching fire.
The shimmering 35mm grain of the Mediterranean horizon in Aftersun directly contrasts with the jarring, pixelated honesty of MiniDV home footage, giving the audience an emotional push-and-pull. Paul Mescal plays Calum, a man whose love for his daughter is as clear as the depression he is trying to hide. His performance is devastatingly quiet. Frankie Corio’s Sophie is the perfect observer, capturing the exact moment a child realises that their parent is a person with a hidden, inner world.
By the time the film gets to its climax, the holiday fake has been taken away. The “last dance,” a scene that has become one of the most famous in movie history for showing grief, leaves us with a heavy heart. There are no simple answers or big fights. Instead, we get a physical, sensory experience of looking back and finally seeing the shadows that were hidden in the light.
Aftersun is available now on Cathay Pacific‘s award-winning inflight entertainment system.
