Review: 'Aftersun' Stunning and Poignant

The ignition of our senses can trigger potent memories, instantly transporting us to specific moments in time: A whiff of perfume, the touch of fabric, or a photograph. The aroma of pine needles takes me back to my childhood summers. Striking and poignant, "Aftersun" explores the power of memory, specifically between a father and daughter.

11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) and her young father, Calum (Paul Mescal), vacation together in Turkey. Sophie lives with her mom, as her parents are no longer together. Sophie and her dad treasure their time together, recording the trip on a video camera. It's a deceptively simple film – most scenes involve them lounging at the hotel, but it yields tremendous emotional depths.

Written and directed by Charlotte Wells in her impressive directorial debut, "Aftersun" stars Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio. It premiered at Cannes this year, winning the French Touch Prize of the Jury.

Flipping through photographs of herself and her father inspired Wells to tell this story. In the press notes, she said the film is not specifically about her relationship with her father but became "more emotionally autobiographical."

Frankie Coro is a breath of fresh air as Sophie. It can be tricky casting child actors, as they often come off too cutesy and falsely precocious. But Coro, in her first professional acting role, possesses a natural ease on camera. She exudes authenticity.

Paul Mescal made a name for himself in the Hulu series "Normal People." He gives an astounding performance in this year's "God's Creatures." Here, Mescal effortlessly conveys a loving, doting, and tender father, as Calum is affectionate towards Sophie. Yet, he clearly struggles with tremendous pain – perhaps due to becoming a father at a young age – with clues to his inner turmoil. Calum adamantly tells Sophie not to record after she asks about his 11th birthday; he reveals his family didn't remember. He walks down a street at night, picking a cigarette up off the ground. Calum gets injuries he says he doesn't remember, perhaps indicating addiction – or perhaps he doesn't want to disclose the truth due to embarrassment or shame.

Sun-soaked cinematography involves beautiful underwater scenes in the hotel pool. But a fading patina exists, as does an insular, almost claustrophobic ambiance at times, as most of the film takes place at the under-construction budget resort. At times, Blair McClendon's quick editing evokes home movies, while mirroring the way we recall flashes of memories.

The cinematography by Gregory Oke also consists of many unconventional camera shots, like characters seen in the reflection of a television or table. Perhaps these visuals convey the murkiness of memories or beauty in mundanity. Or they convey the wall up between Sophie and her dad. Or perhaps they express the ephemeral and transitory nature of time and memories.

In a tender scene, Calum tells Sophie that he always wants her to be able to tell him anything, to talk to him about drugs (he says he's done them all), boys, etc.

Throughout the film, the past and present collide with scenes of adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) 20 years later, the same age as her father while on the trip. Adult Sophie is queer with a woman partner and a baby. We see 11-year-old Sophie kiss a boy. There are no coming-out scenes or declarations; she just is queer.

In some scenes, we witness surreal flashes of adult Sophie spellbindingly watching her 30-year-old father dance in a nightclub. Do we ever really know our parents, who lead whole lives before us? It's unspoken, yet clear, that Sophie is trying to decipher her father's identity.

Emotionally destroyed, I sobbed at the end of the film. Not having been provoked by specific events, there was still a melancholic impression of what happens to the characters internally. I was not prepared for its all-consuming emotional devastation.

Brimming with poignancy, "Aftersun" is a stunning film, capturing fragments of memories and conveying intangible emotions. It pushes the boundaries of narrative and what cinema can be. Its enigmatic approach might not work for all audiences, but for those who surrender to its vision, it will be a powerfully transcendent experience.

"Aftersun" opens wide in theaters on October 28, 2022.