AFTERSUN
Framed as the hazy recollections of an adult woman revisiting her childhood in the 1990s, AFTERSUN finds precocious young Sophie (remarkable newcomer Frankie Corio) on a rare one-on-one vacation with her dad, Calum (Paul Mescal), at an all-inclusive Turkish resort. The two are close enough in age that they’re sometimes confused for siblings, and they share an easy rapport, whether gently teasing each other or laughing at the hotel’s Macarena-dancing staff. Calum shows a touching eagerness to show his daughter a good time. Yet in quietly telling moments, filmmaker Charlotte Wells suggests that there’s something darker and more complex behind Calum’s affable demeanor. On the cusp of her teenage years, Sophie struggles to understand these mysterious parts of her dad while reevaluating her own place in the world. Building two rich character studies through a series of subtle and beautifully observed sequences, AFTERSUN packs an emotional power that lingers long after credits have rolled.
CAST: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall
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