A24 movies, the American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, have been hit or miss for me. The distribution studio has my utmost respect, as I admire its effort and ability to bring to life smaller, independent projects that might otherwise have a chance for creation. Founded in 2012, the company has ventured out of obscurity and into the mainstream within the last half dozen years, with its films many Academy Award nominations, including wins for Best Actress (Brie Larson – Room, 2015), Best Documentary Feature (Amy – 2015), and Best Visual Effects (Ex Machina – 2016), and Best Supporting Actress (Yuh-jung Youn – Minari, 2020). As of this post, A24’s most recognizable and arguably successful film was Moonlight, which was the Best Picture of 2016 while earning Mahershala Ali a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. However, 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once will likely earn multiple Academy Award nominations and could win in multiple categories, including Best Picture.
While Everything Everywhere All At Once is A24’s best chance for Oscar success this year, Aftersun has quietly earned much praise from critics (96%) and audiences (82%) alike. It very well could earn a couple of Oscar nominations, including an outside chance of one being for Best Picture. First-time director Charlotte Wells delivers a quiet, contemplative film that many will find near and dear to their heart. Like the films referenced above, Aftersun feels like an A24 film from its first frame. It quickly reminded me of the tone and style in The Florida Project, also an A24 film, though one that I found disappointing. Because it felt so similar, the first 15 minutes had me worried that I would not enjoy Aftersun, my most anticipated movie since Halloween. I follow five movie review content creators on TikTok, all of which focus on independent movies just as much as they do big-budget films. Each of the five has Aftersun in its top ten films of 2022. My anticipation of the movie has as much to do with their praise as it did with my inability to view it. It had been weeks since it showed in any of my local theaters and was available online. When it finally came to the Art House-type theater, I saw it at the first chance. While Aftersun underwhelmed, much of this had to do with the lofty expectations I had put on it.
The film centers on the relationship between eleven-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) and her 30-something father, Calum (Paul Mescal – The Lost Daughter, God’s Creatures). The English duo is on a father-daughter vacation in Turkey, staying at an all-inclusive resort. From the opening frame, we know that “resort” will be a loose term. They arrive at their hotel late at night, and nobody works at the front desk in the dimly lit lobby. Later, as the pair is in their room, we see Calum on the phone, telling the hotel manager on duty that he booked a two-bedroom room but that their room has a single bed. While he does question why, he much too quickly gives the, “So that’s all you can do? Ok then,” admission of defeat.
The film is told through the eyes of Sophie. The film is a flashback of adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall – Ma) as she remembers the last vacation that she ever had with her father. We quickly learn something is not quite right with Calum. Whether it’s a lack of confidence, apprehension, anxiety, or depression, we are never quite sure. And neither is Sophie. We know that she loves her father and that her father loves her. Sophie poses many of the questions that any eleven-year-old might ask. Calum does his best to answer her questions, but nothing he ever says carries much certainty. He’s tentative with everything. Sophie is aware, but Calum is her dad, and our parents are our lives’ first heroes. Wells does give us glimpses of Calum’s troubles. We learn that he struggles financially, has mixed feelings about his divorce/separation from Sophie’s mother, and has a working partnership in London with a man named Keith. He has visions of Sophie having her room in a flat that he’ll one day be able to rent. Wells doesn’t give us black-and-white answers. Or maybe she does, but when told by Sophie in memories, the answers that once seemed concrete are blurred, either by what time does to our memory or how our minds develop as we grow older.
Wells purposefully keeps us distanced from Calum and Sophie. We often feel as if we are as far back as the camera will take us while still feeling like we have a clear view of a particular scene. We are outsiders to a relationship that, at first, we want to understand more than we do. Her operation method presents a film as obscure as possible without being so vague that we can’t draw any realistic conclusions.
Calum’s performance reminded me of Jason Segel as David Foster Wallace in the underrated and under-watched The End of the Tour. Sophie’s performance reminded me of reporter David Lipsky (played by Jesse Eisenberg) in that same movie. Calum’s eyes have a constant, deep somberness, even when trying his best to smile. As Lipsky could see through Foster Wallace’s front, Sophie could do the same with her father. Even at 11, Sophie knew something wasn’t quite right with her father, even if she couldn’t fully describe it.
Fans of A24 films will likely rank this with the studio’s best-produced. Aftersun is a reason why independent movies win over audiences and critical acclaim. A film like Aftersun was a version of my story…maybe many of our stories. There’s a vibe of “this person is doing their best to hang on” from the opening frame to the closing credits. Calum doesn’t just have answers to some questions. Instead, there is a reservation in everything he does and says. Maybe it’s just apprehension. Possibly, it’s unease. Or perhaps he’s searching for something he never received as an eleven-year-old, precluding him from living a more confident and prolific life. Aftersun leaves you with as many questions as it answers, which is the sign of a successful A24 film.
Plot 9/10
Character Development 9.5/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 8/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
89%
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- The Florida Project
- The End of the Tour
- Captain Fantastic
- Leave No Trace
- The Loneliest Planet