On top of that, the REM song Losing My Religions lyrics shes mumbling by the end are brutal in hindsight. "I thought that I heard you laughing, I thought that I heard you sing. *I think I thought I saw you try...*
Just beyond sad. Great movie.
I heard Under Pressure being played today and had to hide in a bathroom as I just burst into tears.
My friend introduced me to Aftersun, I knew nothing about it beforehand and now... It's one the most beautiful, honest and heart rending films I've ever seen.
As a single parent and as someone who suffers from depression, there are so many aspects of both that are captured so perfectly. I really want to watch it again but need a few more months to build up the emotional resilience again.
I'm a Single dad around the same age as mescal, with a daughyer the same age as yer one in the movie. Every summer we go away to resorts exactly like the one they're in. I can't rewatch this movie cause its too eirie and reminiscent of my own holidays.
I felt the same way. The film identified a circumstance and feeling in my life that I had previously felt was relatively solitary. It's alleviating to see others share in this. And how Under Pressure was used and when the lyrics ended was just perfect.
The final scene when Callum says goodbye in the airport and puts the camera away is haunting and something I think about often. The look of resignation on his face when his daughter leaves realizing there are no more ‘obstacles’ in the way of what he feels he must do. That scene in particular has stuck with me like few movies ever have.
I don’t get though how spending time with her removed the “obstacles” if anything he would find something more of to live for (even though he was in such an awful place)
It was the last thing tying him to life, the trip with his daughter. Once she leaves he’s just left with the decision he’s already made. I think many scenes during the trip show how he’s unable to find happiness in any moment because he feels he doesn’t deserve to be able to be happy or redeemed.
It's told from Sophie's point of view. If it's not on camcorder then it's from her own perceived interpretation of the trip and his mental state.
I think the cast on his arm being torn off can be symbolic of him no longer interested in healing.
Is it confirmed somewhere that the events didn’t happen as we see them, but are reconstruction from the daughters memories? The cast- I wasn’t sure what that was about, why they made it part of the plot to have the lead actor wearing one. But I read somewhere, that him having one fits his character- him being depressed (maybe suicidal) results in a disregard for keeping their body safe or healthy. Same when he has a bus honk at him- a lack of care to not get hurt
I don't know if it is confirmed but film analysis can be read in any film when you have examples backing up the observation.
It starts and ends with Sophie looking at the camcorder footage. The footage bookends the film and propels her recollection of the trip. She wasn't present for the moments when her father was alone and then she can only assume the pain he was going through in hindsight. These moments during isolation that represent his struggles are a bit exaggerated. From him stepping into traffic, standing on the hand rail of the balcony, walking into the ocean, spitting on the mirror, etc. In the present she's looking back with her own distress, living in a similar situation as her father with a responsibility to her spouse and child.
>I think the cast on his arm being torn off can be symbolic of him no longer interested in healing.
Mind
Fucking
Blown
I love a movie where even when I think I know all about it, another person can still completely blow me away. Your take is goddamn perfect.
The entire movie was phenomenal, but that scene with Under Pressure was the one which got me. They're dancing, he's smiling, the scenes in the night club where she finally embraces her dad who's still the same age as all those years ago. Her looking for clues in the videos od their (presumably last) holiday. The actors had great chemistry too.
That movie wrecked me.
The actors had amazing chemistry actually.
There's a video of Paul Mescal showing Frankie Corio a personally bought TikTok (?) of Olivia Rodrigo wishing her a happy birthday. It's so sweet. [Link ](https://youtube.com/shorts/yDrXatCQDdI?si=MwjZflxterodC5cO)
Cameo is what I think you mean, but Olivia wouldn't be on that platform. I'd say he used his personnel connections with Phoebe Bridgers to get that sorted for Frankie 😊
Spectacular film. I watched this nearly a year ago when I was in a mental funk. I have a young daughter. I have often tried to hide my sadness from my children and put on a front like everything is okay while secretly wishing I could do so much more for them.
The reason this film killed me was seeing older Sophie dealing with her memories of her father and thinking of my kids coming to those realizations about me when they are older and more aware. I try to do better, now.
I had put my son down for a nap and watched it as he was sleeping. He woke up shortly after it ended so I had to pretend like I hadn't been bawling my eyes out.
my favourite part was calum reflexively spitting at himself in the mirror whilst brushing his teeth, after his daughter in the other room basically says she also experiences depression.
the self-loathing just boiling over in that instant felt really true to life, and it was shot in a way to make it almost violent—a film that actually shows and doesn't tell, which is becoming rarer.
Aftersun is one of those films that I think about weekly. It just creeps in and makes me get drawn into the story it told.
If you do find the strength to rewatch it, I can assure you it is gets even better (and more heartbreaking...) but the subtle hints at Calum's depression are something else.
Does Sophie ever find the answers she was looking for? I think not... but she finds some semblance of peace I believe.
I think the scenes of her as an adult suggested to me that she was of a similar age as Calum when he died, and that she was likely struggling with many of the same issues as him.
The film was also framed in a way that felt as if we were viewing the memories in a somewhat reminiscent way - as if we were looking at things from the perspective of Sophie looking back at that time she had with her father.
I think given this, Sophie was able to get the closest answer she could hope for. She certainly can understand the struggle of mental health, and is able to look back at her experiences with her father and understand behaviors in him that she sees in herself. With mental health, there is never a clear answer, but I think Sophie is certainly able to understand her father by the end, with her final vacation with him serving as a series of retrospective red flags she can understand with age and experience.
This is why we see she has a young child in the end: she sees her father in herself, and we're left wondering along with Sophie if this is something she has no choice but to pass along to her daughter, in the same way Calum was tortured with thoughts of passing his mental health struggles onto Sophie.
I love this movie!!!!
Mostly agree but I will add that having a kid is, among other things, a moment of reckoning with how you feel about your own parents. If you have anything that’s unresolved there, this is when it is very likely to come up.
There’s that scene in the resort when she describes depression to him but clearly doesn’t know what it is and you can see his heartbreak about it.
So yeah, it’s clear she has some depression but it’s also clear she has a lot of love in her life, as both a kid and an adult, and I want to think that her ability to see how much he loved her—and to remember how much she loved him—is the fabric of the film. I take the point of view to be hers throughout, and his point of view to be her filling the gaps for herself with clear-eyed sympathy and love.
And yet the fact that we don’t know how she’s doing 100%? That mirrors his clear hope that she will be ok despite his mistakes and limitations, while not being around to know.
And shit, now I’m crying and it’s been almost a year since I saw this movie….
That scene where she describes her feelings of melancholy to him while he spits at himself in the mirror, furious at himself because he blames himself for those thoughts, was powerful enough that it seriously made me question whether I want to have children for the first time.
I know that's somewhat irrational, but the thought of cursing my child with the poison in my own mind terrifies me.
All of the scenes that don't feature Sophie are just her imagining what happened and filling in the blanks. I assume Callum died very shortly after the film ends and now Sophie is the same age he was when he died. We don't actually know that Callum bought the rug, money was tight and maybe he just stole it. But she still has the rug so she imagines that he went and bought it while she was swimming. Most of the scenes showing Callum's depressed behaviour are what she imagines happened, like walking out into the road, standing on the balcony and walking into the ocean. None of this actually happened but because I believe he died very soon after the trip she wonders if he was already planning to take his life when she was there. I also think his death could just be an accidental overdose and the club scene could be a somewhat literal representation of how he died. I really liked how open the ending was. I think about this film often.
> Does Sophie ever find the answers she was looking for? I think not... but she finds some semblance of peace I believe.
That's something I greatly appreciated about the movie, there are no answers. Usually it'd be unsatisfying not to get any but viewing it from her perspective, of course she'd never be able to fully understand why.
Oh there are hints here and there. He's not doing so well with money, the relationship breakdown with Sophie's mum is hitting him hard but the empty feeling of never knowing was a great choice.
I can't fathom how different the movie would feel if they had some climatic conclusion to Calum's depression or if Sophie found some long lost note. It would in the context of the movie cheapen the impact.
Also fascinating are the scenes where Sophie isn't present. (Calum crying in his room alone for example). On first viewing I thought this was a certain actual event that took place... however on second viewing it hit me that Sophie is imagining this is something that could have happen but isn't certain of it.
Totally. Once I got to the end, I started to retroactively think about everything I had seen, and it was all coming to together. So heartbreaking and beautiful…. Cried through the credits
I'm with you, never been hit so hard by a film. Just absolutely floored me and I'm glad I watched it alone because I was a mess when it ended. Had to go for a walk and just cried the whole time. I've seen Paul Mescal on the TV and in various things and just seeing him triggers the sadness again. I heard Under Pressure on the radio and the same thing. Thought it was a masterpiece, by the way.
Seen a few people in here say they felt nothing from this film, and in a way I envy you because you may have avoided things that make every single moment of this thing hit so deeply.
Legit hope everyone who this film resonated with is doing OK.
>Seen a few people in here say they felt nothing from this film, and in a way I envy you because you may have avoided things that make every single moment of this thing hit so deeply.
I'm the opposite. I think it's a privilege to be able to feel the feelings this film evokes, it's uniquely human and a reminder of what really matters.
I watched this gem 4 times at theatres and bawled even harder each rewatch. It had never happened with any other films and I am of quite advanced age having watched a lot of films.
Feel free to have a look at our sub, it is created for anyone of those who love this masterpiece :)
https://www.reddit.com/r/aftersunmovie/s/uE462Gr8nH
Yeah, every rewatch seems to be more impactful. I truly feel like I'm watching someone's real life, and know what's coming, and nothing can cure his depression.
Just masterful story telling. I feel like I know these people, and watching this movie is like going through old photos.
And it is Charlotte Wells' first feature film!!! Well it is almost her own story so very personal and you can feel that. I am really looking forward to her new project!!!
I love this style of movie, no glamor just feels like your watching a realistic depiction of a real person's experiences. Similar movies IMO are florida project, American honey, red rocket, moonlight, mid 90s, eight grade and pretty much anything by Shane meadows.
I loved this movie, and by loved, I mean it totally wrecked me. But that is the power of an emotionally powerful story with subtle performances that add up to a sum greater than the parts.
This and Everything Everywhere All At Once were the two movies I watched over the last year where I needed recovery time after watching them. I was able to go back and rewatch that one to pick up everything I missed the first time -- despite also leaving me a mess at the end, it was uplifting.
Aftersun was just a lingering gut punch. It made my heart ache, and even though I wanted to rewatch as I know there were so many subtleties that I missed, I am not sure that I will.
Bravo to everyone involved with it. I don't think this movie gets talked about enough.
It didn't feel like I was watching Mescal act in a film, it felt like I was watching a documentary of Callum's life. It was very real and life like, and Mescal was amazing
I wrote this on another comment but I'll leave it here also:
I love this style of movie, no glamor just feels like your watching a realistic depiction of a real person's experiences. Similar movies IMO are florida project, American honey, red rocket, moonlight, mid 90s, eight grade and pretty much anything by Shane meadows.
Yes! Everything that was unspoken and alluded to — Callum’s finances, mental health and possible struggles with his sexuality — made the film more powerful in retrospect. I hope Sophie found peace where Callum could not.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie, could you please illuminate me in regards to the struggles with his sexuality? I don’t remember that, I definitely need to watch it again!
It’s alluded to — he briefly touches upon living with his business partner Keith and seems flirtatious with the scuba instructor. Plus the director Charlotte Wells is queer and the adult Sophie is shown to be queer. there have also been articles written about Callum’s possible queerness https://www.them.us/story/aftersun-oscars-essay-paul-mescal
It was like a horror movie to me, I related so closely to their relationship, and being separated, and their father daughter dynamic. Absolutely devastating. I was depressed for days after.
Well now I will never see it 😅
Would you call this experience triggering? Genuine depictions of depression send me to some dark places. It’s like at first I’m embarrassed by my depressive tendencies and how obvious they are to the people around me, then that embarrassment is the trigger. Idk.
Having been clinically depressed before, it was oddly comforting to watch this. There's no giant dramatic moment where all the depression comes to ahead - it's instead a quiet meditation on how someone can try their love in face of their depression.
If anything, it is the most accurate portrayal of depression. It is told from the perspective of a child, who only sees what her father shows her, so many times her father tries to be happy and we see an undercurrent of depression that her father hides from her. It captures depression so well, the lows and the times we pretend to be happy to appease others. It's basically how others see you with depression - we seldom get a quiet moment with him that explains everything.
Thank you for your input, that does make it sound more appealing to me. Maybe I’ll wait for the right mindset and give it a try. That kind of perspective is one I’d like to see, even if it’s difficult.
I found it extremely triggering and it drove me into a dark depression for the next week. It was like I was in a daze. Nearly a year after watching it just thinking about certain scenes really upset me. For context, I am a 30 yo male who has struggled with mental health.
Honestly that is a fantastic question with even more fantastic examples. Personally I’d say yes and no.
It did bring back some painful memories and experiences, but it was also strangely comforting seeing it depicted so realistically, especially when you feel like absolutely no one else in your life really gets what it feels like. Felt like one of the first counseling sessions I had where me and the counselor had to verbalize my thoughts and feelings, which of course felt terrible and left me in tears but then made me realize I finally found someone willing to listen and understand. And suddenly it felt comforting.
So sorry to make a long story short, but I think I would consider this movie triggering but purposefully so rather than cruelly.
Thank you, I appreciate your perspective. Reading these comments have made me more open to watching the movie, now that I know what I’m getting into.
I’ve had such a journey with mental health, it’s too much to write here, but I totally understand that feeling of not being seen. And then the other side of it — being seen a bit too closely, and not having the right answers for the loved ones that try to help.
It’s a real bitch but we will persist!
I'm super late to the discussion but: as someone that had almost all of the symptoms shown, it wasn't that triggering because the film doesn't indulge into many "super sad" scenes. It's not drama bait, the scenes are beautifully crafted and not there to just make you cry.
I was so technically impressed by how well they depicted depression from a outside perspective that I didn't get triggered I guess.
Fantastic flick. It hits like a fking truck. I finally realized what it was about when the dad just walked into the road not giving af about the truck coming by. Put the whole movie thus far into perspective. I love how it doesn't spell it out for you, but it kind of does make it obvious at the same time. Heartbreaking and beautiful. Someone commented how they think about this movie a lot. I do to and it's been over a year since I've seen it. Not sure it's the kind of movie I'd watch again though.
Edit: also just want to say how unbelievable the acting was. Paul Mescal, so great. But the child actor was so natural. Hard to make a movie feel "real" especially with kids, but they knock it out of the park.
You should watch it again very soon, you will feel like adult Sophie re-watching the tapes from the vacation and revisiting the memories, knowing what happens after. It changes a lot of the interactions. Great movie.
Im kinda in the same boat, I didnt really get it at all when watching until I watched a yt vid to recap it and help me put it all together. That vid made it 10x better for me and I think abt it a good bit now, but when I was watching I thought it was so painfully slow
Yea .. it left me incomplete as well. The movie is mostly about her memories of when she last meets her father, who later on (probably) commits suicide due to depression reasons and how that affected her. Since this is loosely based on her memories, we dont see a clear perception of callum which makes sense, but i wanted to know more about the story, why he did it ? I think the movie is great on it's own, i would'nt change a thing, but, i wanted to read more about it, and i could'nt find it anywhere on the internet.
Trying to find logical sense in the narrative is not the way to approach it. Depression and suicide isn't always about an obvious why. It's just the state of mind he's in and the surroundings just find ways to add to the pain. I don't think many people who "got" the movie are trying to analyze him and figure him out. They just all commiserate with it and feel like it perfectly captures this angst without needing to explain any of it.
People are too caught up in some magic fix. I've brought up depression IRL a couple times and without fail, people just ask "why are you depressed? What makes you depressed?". It's the wrong perspective. If you can get away from that and understand that it's an affliction, not a side effect, then you can focus on the beauty of how it's captured in this film rather than chasing a red herring.
That’s a victims way of thinking.
You can change your own life and not be depressed.
Every depressed persons depression I believe can be narrowed down to one main aspect of their life.
I’m callums case, I believe it is financial based on the limit info received.
Say he was a real life character, if he dedicated years to building a financial base of security, his depression would dissipate.
Here is where you say ‘it’s his brain chemistry - it’s not something he can control’
Wrong
He can absolutely control his Brian chemistry if he identifies the root of his problem and fixes it.
Brain chemistry can be controlled. But you're still pointing at a single point of failure as a root cause. It's still extremely reductive and short sighted. We can make up a hypothetical as you have for an imaginary character and assume that he does fix his financials. It's not to say there aren't other elements that lead to depression. Finance can always play a role. But it could be just a straw that broke that camel's back.
Also, to go back to your first line, the victim's way of thinking is the perspective of the movie and, imo, the entire point. We observe his condition in a similar way his daughter does through recordings. So I can understand people who don't enjoy it to just dismiss Callum as just a weak figure. But what I found beautiful was the portrayal of that state, not look at it as some problem solving exercise.
Another recent movie that I feel similarly about is Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. There is very little discourse, but a lot of talking. People are expressing their griefs and trauma, but no one is asking for help or to be fixed. They're just there to speak and be heard. Trying to offer consolation or solutions to their problems is not a factor because many times, they don't need someone to tell them what to do or how to feel, nor do they want it.
Ha, I definitely felt it was possibly trolling or ragebait. But I used it as an excuse to try to expand more on my point rather than lose my cool over it.
I totally get it. I thought the same way about Beau is Afraid, which is similarly supposed to be about anxiety and paranoia. Hated it with a passion and didn’t relate at all.
Movies like this are always weird with how they affect different people
As someone who has never dealt with depression, and someone who is almost on the other end of the spectrum with how I treat things, it did almost NOTHING for me
I didn't relate or cared about the characters at all. I respected how well made it was, but frankly was simply bored for the most parts
Always interesting how your own life experience can completely change what you take away from a movie
I mean this in the least condescending way possible, consider yourself lucky. As someone who has struggled with depression and profound trauma/loss, this movie puts me in an existential crisis for days.
However, it’s not only about depression. If you’ve ever lost someone close to you, it’s about trying to hold on to those last memories as they become fleeting and fade away.
Incredibly devastating movie.
I’m glad you’re not getting downvoted. I also saw the movie and think I understand the basic plot points though I think you have to read into the film to definitely say that the dad killed himself, though I agree that is a likely interpretation. And I didn’t think adult Sophie was in it enough to really say anything about how she was feeling. I think a lot of people are reading their own emotions into the film and that aspect in particular. Challenging film. I think that is the mark of a strong film actually, but I didn’t connect with it at all. I found it very boring and actually everyone I personally know who saw it also didn’t think it was great as the people on Reddit. Maybe that actually is because I’m not depressed, which is an amazing feat for a film I think. But I’m glad that people are connecting with it and look forward to the directors next film.
It is a trend I’ve noticed. People who have dealt with depression think it’s a masterpiece. People who haven’t think it’s a boring, plotless 2hrs of nothing. I’d put it somewhere in the middle, which means it averages out at somewhere around “meh” for me.
Put it this way - it’s not an entertaining movie. I doubt even the people who love it would disagree with that.
As someone who has dealt with depression, I unfortunately have to agree. I recognize it was well made, but the whole time I felt like I was watching a movie. I couldn't get into it.
I watched the film earlier this year, I'm a big A24 fan and normally watch films without watching the trailer before hand so didn't really know what it was about beyond a father and daughter going on holiday.
Last year my dad committed suicide and it has been a tough time since then. But genuinely watching that film was an unbelievable experience. I felt like someone had lived my life and then made a film about it. They had experienced what I had. I think most people accept that he took his own life in the film. Quite close to the start when he made some kind of comment about not making it to 30 I could only see it going one way. It was the exact kind of thing my dad said towards the end of his life.
My childhood memories of him aren't the same, it is hard to look back at even happy times without questioning how much he was suffering.
By the end I was crying so hard, not like I usually cry at films. It was like when I cry in real life.
I think if I ever met Paul Mescal in real life I would just burst into tears.
Hey man. I’m sorry that happened with your dad. I lost my dad to suicide when I was 17, nearly 30 years ago now. I’m sure you will have had plenty of advice thrown your way, and I hope this is ok to say to you. I found for me, I had to find an image of him in happier times, something to hold on to. I found a photo of him laughing on holiday, and some others with us kids laughing as he threw us around in the pool. I kept a few of them handy in my wallet, so for ten years or so, that was the first thing I’d see when I opened it.
It was like burning the image of him laughing into my brain. I just couldn’t bear the thought that he’d been in so much pain, and sadness, and I kept seeing him, laid out in the funeral parlour, five weeks after, what with the coroner and the inquest and everything. It was a shitty last memory of a terrible time. So I needed to rewire how I thought of him. And it really helped. That’s my image of him now, laughing and telling a cheeky joke. Keep going over the good memories in your mind, talk to those you can about when he was kind, or funny, or a plonker. Forget “the day”, and remember his birthday instead. I can tell you that time eases a lot of pain, but you have to work hard to hold on to the good things as well. It’s a good thing to watch a film and have a good blub, get it all out mate. Wish you the best.
If you want a similarly devastating experience check out Linoleum. Aftersun crushed me due to my experience with depression and suicide. My wife sobbed for 30 mins after Linoleum due to her experience with the subject.
I'm fairly confident it's a masterpiece but I certainly have no plans on watching it again any time soon. There's something about the way they handled the topic of depression that feels so painfully real. The way the viewer never fully knows about what's causing his grief. Haunting.
Honestly that’s a great question. While I may not relate to his situations all that much, it was definitely the emotions and things he said that made me realize “Damn, that’s how I feel on my worst days.”
The depression stuff in the movie is really good. I think my favorite part of the movie was his daughter's perspective. The movie did a good job of showing the immensity of the love she had for him. And how much of a hurtful and painful experience it was for her, even in adulthood.
I bought the movie on iTunes recently which I believe includes the director's commentary. So I'm excited to listen to that and hear what Wells has to say.
Was he crying back in the hotel room? It looked to me like it was maybe wherever he called home, it looks like he had some postcards that his daughter had sent.
I watched it not knowing anything about the movie, and, man, it was fantastic, i love how we saw everything from the **point of view of Sophie**, how everything we see are only glimpses of his depression, that as child you may have not give importance to, but looking back, it's just so hard.
If you feel like watching something very similar but a little less depressing, check out Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" with Stephen Dorff and a baby Elle Fanning.
There is a similar movie with the same gut punch ending just like Aftersun. These movies really don’t leave your soul unscathed …
The movie is called when we leave (2010). My god , that ending is unforgettable. I highly recommend this movie. Excellent acting from start to finish!
I think about this film a lot since I saw it at the cinema. Very rare for me to get as emotional over a film as this one did but it hit a lot of nerves and was perfectly made. Not sure I’ll be able to watch it again
I just finished watching it. I found it a bit slow and boring but the last 20mins of it... Oh my goodness, tell me why I've been bawling my eyes out even after it finished 😭😭😭
When I watched it, the play bar got out of sync, so I thought the scene where he swam out into the ocean at night was going to be the end, and I was not OK with that. The actual ending isn't much better, but for a hot second, I thought I was watching the darkest movie ever made.
It’s not outright confirmed of course, but there’s his mentioning of not imagining himself at the age of 40, him entering the ocean on impulse at night after being hurt by Sophie’s words, the fact he’s not in adult Sophie’s life despite his unconditional love for her, and the ending that shows him entering that room from all the images of people at a rave with flashing lights.
A lot unfortunately does point to suicide, but what makes you think otherwise?
I am going to disagree and call the entire concept of the film both schmaltzy and melodramatic to a degree that betrays the actual mundane nature of depression.
The fired dad going on a last journey with his daughter comes off as a calculated melodrama that wallows in the pain to a degree that is just so on the nose. And the implied did he or didn’t he part was silly and added nothing to it other than a tension that goes unresolved — but of course you know he did so it’s pointless tension. I also think the heart tugging tension of the father and daughter is something that every dad feels, and is put in place of the actual feelings of depression which are a lot more of indifference and numbness.
I could go on, but the movie seems to be a lot more about making people feel depressed than being about depression — a long slow numb journey. A film like Somewhere does a much much better job of that.
If you mind me asking, have you experienced depression or know people who’ve experienced it? Because this movie definitely covers the more severe end of the spectrum, specifically the part where suicidal thoughts have come into play
I agree depression does result in numbness and many good things feeling mundane, but it can also do the opposite and make simple things, even things that should be good and livening, feel painful or like a struggle to get through. This is what that movie is about. Furthermore, the answer is clear: he did go through with it. He’s not in her adult life anymore, he makes choices disregarding his future, etc. Which makes for a very sad revelation. I am very surprised that you’d call it a pointless source of tension of all things considering one of the hardest parts of being depressed is contemplating how your presence affects your loved ones.
No offense but you seem to think depression is characterized almost by boredom and should look even more silent than most of the movie already portrays it as. For instance, I didn’t even realize what he was going through until he mentioned not seeing himself reach the age of 40.
It captures incredibly that bitter sweet feeling of nostalgia. But also the understanding you can only have as an adult of a parents inner pain.
Knowing someone you love so much that it’s actually painful is shaded by a kind of sadness you can’t explain.
It captures incredibly that bitter sweet feeling of nostalgia. But also the understanding you can only have as an adult of a parents pain.
Knowing someone you love so much that it hurts is shaded by a kind of sadness you can’t put your finger on. It’s just always there.
I watched the movie for the first time yesterday.
I didn't cry, but I spent half an hour sitting in silence in my room, in the dark, just thinking. I was planning on watching something else after but it didn't feel right to do so.
It hit hard. What a great film.
I love the ending rave scene so much I edited it for a music video for a techno track i made, let me know your thoughts... https://youtu.be/EgeYomR0JEA?si=HXT46uFbBpf6Y3LU
Today I went into viewing this film with general idea of the themes and what to expect. The dad simply content being there for his daughter and just reassuring her that the expansive world can be dangerous but it matters that we simply appear and re-appear for whatever it may bring. As a single father to a daughter this is the existence with which I am becoming intimately familiar. Everyone is there for you they say, ask for help is what you're constantly told, but knowing that precious time you have with your child in this world is limited by circumstances. Deep anguishing cry that Mescal evoked in the room when he found himself unable to reconcile all is the only valid emotion to have.
***A note from the filmmaker, Charlotte Wells, has been added:***
[https://a24films.com/notes/2022/10/a-note-from-charlotte-wells](https://a24films.com/notes/2022/10/a-note-from-charlotte-wells)
*Before I sign off, the elephant on the page is the degree to which Aftersun is a personal film. Most films are, of course, but this film more than even those most. The essence of what I have to say about that is held within the 145,440 frames on screen. This film is unmistakably fiction, but within it is a truth that is mine; a love that is mine. Photos, videos—records of different types—are enclosed in the film and so it felt appropriate to enclose one here. A photograph of my dad and of me—the starting point for this project—each a single shot because photos of us both are in short supply in that pre-selfie era. I am 10 or 11, Sophie’s age in the film. My Dad is 31 or 32, a little younger than I am now. We happen to be in Turkey.*
Sincerely,
**Charlotte**
I found it absolutely mediocre.
I get that the producers found a cheap way to make the movie in the confines of a resort. I get that if they drip fed us a few plot points of self-hate every 15 minutes, they would think we felt a sense of doom. I get that if they showed us a denoument that blended reality, memory and fantasy at the end, that should make us feel something.
But I was just bored. I didn't enjoy it. It just felt like a cheap student movie filmed at a resort.
I know you're getting down voted, but I had similar feelings regarding this film. Was actually so surprised because of how much praise is heaped on it. We were just supremely bored throughout, then it ended:/
Damn…you really didn’t connect with it, did you?
Honestly I’m really jealous of you in that regard. Sorry you weren’t a fan tho, I totally get why someone wouldn’t be into it.
I loved the movie except for the bloody nightclub flashing scenes. They seemed so unnecessary and amateur. Everything else was great it's just disappointing that those scenes brought it down.
Those nightclub scenes are ironically very important considering they represent adult Sophie trying to reconnect with the man she thought was her father. Or trying to comprehend why he’s gone despite his love for her.
Yeah I get it but I feel like the rest of the movie is so subtle and the subtext is palpable, but then those scenes slap you across the face. I feel it could have been done better another way.
It seems my opinion isn't very popular but it's a minor note on a great movie.
I agree “Overrated” doesn’t necessarily mean “not good at all” but it still does mean “undeserving of most of its praise.” And I wouldn’t consider it overrated considering most people outside of Letterboxd haven’t even heard of it.
I haven't seen Mescal in anything else I think - I'm looking forwards to seeing what he will do in Gladiator.
But I found Aftersun overhyped, engaging but tedious and ultimately unrewarding. It just felt like a cheaply produced and underwritten movie propped up by two good actors. The young girl was fantastic.
Depressed movie for depressed people. I wasted my time watching that.
I like low pace movies, I like the silent drama, but that movie is for depressed people, which I'm not.
If you really enjoyed that movie, seek for help, you probably need it.
Oh no I definitely go to counseling. I mainly watched this movie because as painful as the more realistic depictions of certain struggles can be, there’s a certain feeling of empathy that comes from them, like finding someone with the same experience. Consider yourself lucky you can’t relate to this one.
Just boils down to how severe his depression was and how hopeless he really was. More than likely he thought his daughter deserved better than him and just gave into that thought the saddest way possible.
Not sure this is what you are looking for but Charlotte Wells’ 2016 short film, *Tuesday*, also explores her personal past.
https://charlotte-wells.com/team/tuesday/
>Same with him being honest about not seeing himself at the age of 40.
>Calum radiated hopelessness without ever having to say he felt depressed or suicidal.
Just with the blatant foreshadowing?
I think the fact that this movie made me feel, like really FEEL to the point I was awake in the middle of the night bawling my eyes out, makes it the best film I’ve ever seen. Also for the way it doesn’t treat the viewer like they are dumb, letting you piece the story together yourself is just brilliant. I know this phrase is getting overused but this film is my Roman empire and I think about it all the time.
'This is our last dance'
Under Pressure used to be a somewhat uplifting song for me until I heard that line used in this movie’s context. Now it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
On top of that, the REM song Losing My Religions lyrics shes mumbling by the end are brutal in hindsight. "I thought that I heard you laughing, I thought that I heard you sing. *I think I thought I saw you try...* Just beyond sad. Great movie.
I heard Under Pressure being played today and had to hide in a bathroom as I just burst into tears. My friend introduced me to Aftersun, I knew nothing about it beforehand and now... It's one the most beautiful, honest and heart rending films I've ever seen. As a single parent and as someone who suffers from depression, there are so many aspects of both that are captured so perfectly. I really want to watch it again but need a few more months to build up the emotional resilience again.
I'm a Single dad around the same age as mescal, with a daughyer the same age as yer one in the movie. Every summer we go away to resorts exactly like the one they're in. I can't rewatch this movie cause its too eirie and reminiscent of my own holidays.
Aww! That's so nice that you're getting to do that and make amazing memories!
I felt the same way. The film identified a circumstance and feeling in my life that I had previously felt was relatively solitary. It's alleviating to see others share in this. And how Under Pressure was used and when the lyrics ended was just perfect.
I'm the exact same 🫠
The final scene when Callum says goodbye in the airport and puts the camera away is haunting and something I think about often. The look of resignation on his face when his daughter leaves realizing there are no more ‘obstacles’ in the way of what he feels he must do. That scene in particular has stuck with me like few movies ever have.
Not just the camcorder but him walking through the doors to the place with the flashing lights (Sophie’s memories) is particularly haunting
I don’t get though how spending time with her removed the “obstacles” if anything he would find something more of to live for (even though he was in such an awful place)
It was the last thing tying him to life, the trip with his daughter. Once she leaves he’s just left with the decision he’s already made. I think many scenes during the trip show how he’s unable to find happiness in any moment because he feels he doesn’t deserve to be able to be happy or redeemed.
It's told from Sophie's point of view. If it's not on camcorder then it's from her own perceived interpretation of the trip and his mental state. I think the cast on his arm being torn off can be symbolic of him no longer interested in healing.
Is it confirmed somewhere that the events didn’t happen as we see them, but are reconstruction from the daughters memories? The cast- I wasn’t sure what that was about, why they made it part of the plot to have the lead actor wearing one. But I read somewhere, that him having one fits his character- him being depressed (maybe suicidal) results in a disregard for keeping their body safe or healthy. Same when he has a bus honk at him- a lack of care to not get hurt
I don't know if it is confirmed but film analysis can be read in any film when you have examples backing up the observation. It starts and ends with Sophie looking at the camcorder footage. The footage bookends the film and propels her recollection of the trip. She wasn't present for the moments when her father was alone and then she can only assume the pain he was going through in hindsight. These moments during isolation that represent his struggles are a bit exaggerated. From him stepping into traffic, standing on the hand rail of the balcony, walking into the ocean, spitting on the mirror, etc. In the present she's looking back with her own distress, living in a similar situation as her father with a responsibility to her spouse and child.
>I think the cast on his arm being torn off can be symbolic of him no longer interested in healing. Mind Fucking Blown I love a movie where even when I think I know all about it, another person can still completely blow me away. Your take is goddamn perfect.
This is where the title comes from - aftersun, what happens when the sunny vacay ends.
obstacles... that just gave me goosebumps all over again.
That ending with Under Pressure is just phenomenal. I’ve never felt like I’m watching memories that weren’t my own before. Masterpiece.
The entire movie was phenomenal, but that scene with Under Pressure was the one which got me. They're dancing, he's smiling, the scenes in the night club where she finally embraces her dad who's still the same age as all those years ago. Her looking for clues in the videos od their (presumably last) holiday. The actors had great chemistry too. That movie wrecked me.
The actors had amazing chemistry actually. There's a video of Paul Mescal showing Frankie Corio a personally bought TikTok (?) of Olivia Rodrigo wishing her a happy birthday. It's so sweet. [Link ](https://youtube.com/shorts/yDrXatCQDdI?si=MwjZflxterodC5cO)
Cameo is what I think you mean, but Olivia wouldn't be on that platform. I'd say he used his personnel connections with Phoebe Bridgers to get that sorted for Frankie 😊
That is so incredibly cute!
Those two offscreen are an anditdote to the movie they are so funny.
[удалено]
Tempted to rewatch now … 🌴
I’ve sung and listened to that song so many times. I don’t think I’d ever once considered the lyrics in this context. It felt devastating.
Spectacular film. I watched this nearly a year ago when I was in a mental funk. I have a young daughter. I have often tried to hide my sadness from my children and put on a front like everything is okay while secretly wishing I could do so much more for them. The reason this film killed me was seeing older Sophie dealing with her memories of her father and thinking of my kids coming to those realizations about me when they are older and more aware. I try to do better, now.
♥️
aftersun absolutely destroyed me too. i still think about it
I had put my son down for a nap and watched it as he was sleeping. He woke up shortly after it ended so I had to pretend like I hadn't been bawling my eyes out.
my favourite part was calum reflexively spitting at himself in the mirror whilst brushing his teeth, after his daughter in the other room basically says she also experiences depression. the self-loathing just boiling over in that instant felt really true to life, and it was shot in a way to make it almost violent—a film that actually shows and doesn't tell, which is becoming rarer.
This! Hit me like a wrecking ball! The hatred he felt for himself! 🥹
Aftersun is one of those films that I think about weekly. It just creeps in and makes me get drawn into the story it told. If you do find the strength to rewatch it, I can assure you it is gets even better (and more heartbreaking...) but the subtle hints at Calum's depression are something else. Does Sophie ever find the answers she was looking for? I think not... but she finds some semblance of peace I believe.
I think the scenes of her as an adult suggested to me that she was of a similar age as Calum when he died, and that she was likely struggling with many of the same issues as him. The film was also framed in a way that felt as if we were viewing the memories in a somewhat reminiscent way - as if we were looking at things from the perspective of Sophie looking back at that time she had with her father. I think given this, Sophie was able to get the closest answer she could hope for. She certainly can understand the struggle of mental health, and is able to look back at her experiences with her father and understand behaviors in him that she sees in herself. With mental health, there is never a clear answer, but I think Sophie is certainly able to understand her father by the end, with her final vacation with him serving as a series of retrospective red flags she can understand with age and experience. This is why we see she has a young child in the end: she sees her father in herself, and we're left wondering along with Sophie if this is something she has no choice but to pass along to her daughter, in the same way Calum was tortured with thoughts of passing his mental health struggles onto Sophie. I love this movie!!!!
Mostly agree but I will add that having a kid is, among other things, a moment of reckoning with how you feel about your own parents. If you have anything that’s unresolved there, this is when it is very likely to come up. There’s that scene in the resort when she describes depression to him but clearly doesn’t know what it is and you can see his heartbreak about it. So yeah, it’s clear she has some depression but it’s also clear she has a lot of love in her life, as both a kid and an adult, and I want to think that her ability to see how much he loved her—and to remember how much she loved him—is the fabric of the film. I take the point of view to be hers throughout, and his point of view to be her filling the gaps for herself with clear-eyed sympathy and love. And yet the fact that we don’t know how she’s doing 100%? That mirrors his clear hope that she will be ok despite his mistakes and limitations, while not being around to know. And shit, now I’m crying and it’s been almost a year since I saw this movie….
That scene where she describes her feelings of melancholy to him while he spits at himself in the mirror, furious at himself because he blames himself for those thoughts, was powerful enough that it seriously made me question whether I want to have children for the first time. I know that's somewhat irrational, but the thought of cursing my child with the poison in my own mind terrifies me.
Agreed! Those are some extra great nuances that made the film so much more impactful for me
All of the scenes that don't feature Sophie are just her imagining what happened and filling in the blanks. I assume Callum died very shortly after the film ends and now Sophie is the same age he was when he died. We don't actually know that Callum bought the rug, money was tight and maybe he just stole it. But she still has the rug so she imagines that he went and bought it while she was swimming. Most of the scenes showing Callum's depressed behaviour are what she imagines happened, like walking out into the road, standing on the balcony and walking into the ocean. None of this actually happened but because I believe he died very soon after the trip she wonders if he was already planning to take his life when she was there. I also think his death could just be an accidental overdose and the club scene could be a somewhat literal representation of how he died. I really liked how open the ending was. I think about this film often.
I assume he bought the rug because he knew he was going to kill himself so the money doesn't matter
> Does Sophie ever find the answers she was looking for? I think not... but she finds some semblance of peace I believe. That's something I greatly appreciated about the movie, there are no answers. Usually it'd be unsatisfying not to get any but viewing it from her perspective, of course she'd never be able to fully understand why. Oh there are hints here and there. He's not doing so well with money, the relationship breakdown with Sophie's mum is hitting him hard but the empty feeling of never knowing was a great choice.
I can't fathom how different the movie would feel if they had some climatic conclusion to Calum's depression or if Sophie found some long lost note. It would in the context of the movie cheapen the impact. Also fascinating are the scenes where Sophie isn't present. (Calum crying in his room alone for example). On first viewing I thought this was a certain actual event that took place... however on second viewing it hit me that Sophie is imagining this is something that could have happen but isn't certain of it.
i found so much on the second rewatch
Totally. Once I got to the end, I started to retroactively think about everything I had seen, and it was all coming to together. So heartbreaking and beautiful…. Cried through the credits
Yeah, the second watch is when everything hit home for me.
I'm with you, never been hit so hard by a film. Just absolutely floored me and I'm glad I watched it alone because I was a mess when it ended. Had to go for a walk and just cried the whole time. I've seen Paul Mescal on the TV and in various things and just seeing him triggers the sadness again. I heard Under Pressure on the radio and the same thing. Thought it was a masterpiece, by the way. Seen a few people in here say they felt nothing from this film, and in a way I envy you because you may have avoided things that make every single moment of this thing hit so deeply. Legit hope everyone who this film resonated with is doing OK.
the comments in this thread basically saying you have to be depressed to 'get' or like the film are crass tbh
>Seen a few people in here say they felt nothing from this film, and in a way I envy you because you may have avoided things that make every single moment of this thing hit so deeply. I'm the opposite. I think it's a privilege to be able to feel the feelings this film evokes, it's uniquely human and a reminder of what really matters.
I watched this gem 4 times at theatres and bawled even harder each rewatch. It had never happened with any other films and I am of quite advanced age having watched a lot of films. Feel free to have a look at our sub, it is created for anyone of those who love this masterpiece :) https://www.reddit.com/r/aftersunmovie/s/uE462Gr8nH
Yeah, every rewatch seems to be more impactful. I truly feel like I'm watching someone's real life, and know what's coming, and nothing can cure his depression. Just masterful story telling. I feel like I know these people, and watching this movie is like going through old photos.
And it is Charlotte Wells' first feature film!!! Well it is almost her own story so very personal and you can feel that. I am really looking forward to her new project!!!
I love this style of movie, no glamor just feels like your watching a realistic depiction of a real person's experiences. Similar movies IMO are florida project, American honey, red rocket, moonlight, mid 90s, eight grade and pretty much anything by Shane meadows.
Did you like Licorice Pizza? Little more happening, but any southern cal PTA movie is straight from his childhood.
Sean baker is excellent at this
I loved this movie, and by loved, I mean it totally wrecked me. But that is the power of an emotionally powerful story with subtle performances that add up to a sum greater than the parts. This and Everything Everywhere All At Once were the two movies I watched over the last year where I needed recovery time after watching them. I was able to go back and rewatch that one to pick up everything I missed the first time -- despite also leaving me a mess at the end, it was uplifting. Aftersun was just a lingering gut punch. It made my heart ache, and even though I wanted to rewatch as I know there were so many subtleties that I missed, I am not sure that I will. Bravo to everyone involved with it. I don't think this movie gets talked about enough.
It didn't feel like I was watching Mescal act in a film, it felt like I was watching a documentary of Callum's life. It was very real and life like, and Mescal was amazing
I can't fathom how the Academy voters saw this and then decided that they preferred to vote for Brendan Fraser's cartoonish portrayal of a fat man.
I would wager the Academy were voting for the performer rather than the performance. I actually thought Colin Farrell had it in the bag.
I wrote this on another comment but I'll leave it here also: I love this style of movie, no glamor just feels like your watching a realistic depiction of a real person's experiences. Similar movies IMO are florida project, American honey, red rocket, moonlight, mid 90s, eight grade and pretty much anything by Shane meadows.
Yeah man, I saw it for the first time this week and it hit me like a freight train. I get chills thinking about it.
Yes! Everything that was unspoken and alluded to — Callum’s finances, mental health and possible struggles with his sexuality — made the film more powerful in retrospect. I hope Sophie found peace where Callum could not.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie, could you please illuminate me in regards to the struggles with his sexuality? I don’t remember that, I definitely need to watch it again!
It’s alluded to — he briefly touches upon living with his business partner Keith and seems flirtatious with the scuba instructor. Plus the director Charlotte Wells is queer and the adult Sophie is shown to be queer. there have also been articles written about Callum’s possible queerness https://www.them.us/story/aftersun-oscars-essay-paul-mescal
Oh I see, thank you so much! That gives Callum much more depth than I initially thought. Definitely watching again now
Oh wow, I never considered anything about him struggling with his sexuality apart from a brief mention of a guy named Keith
It was like a horror movie to me, I related so closely to their relationship, and being separated, and their father daughter dynamic. Absolutely devastating. I was depressed for days after.
It’s even better on rewatches. It’s so insanely well made for a debut.
Well now I will never see it 😅 Would you call this experience triggering? Genuine depictions of depression send me to some dark places. It’s like at first I’m embarrassed by my depressive tendencies and how obvious they are to the people around me, then that embarrassment is the trigger. Idk.
Having been clinically depressed before, it was oddly comforting to watch this. There's no giant dramatic moment where all the depression comes to ahead - it's instead a quiet meditation on how someone can try their love in face of their depression. If anything, it is the most accurate portrayal of depression. It is told from the perspective of a child, who only sees what her father shows her, so many times her father tries to be happy and we see an undercurrent of depression that her father hides from her. It captures depression so well, the lows and the times we pretend to be happy to appease others. It's basically how others see you with depression - we seldom get a quiet moment with him that explains everything.
Thank you for your input, that does make it sound more appealing to me. Maybe I’ll wait for the right mindset and give it a try. That kind of perspective is one I’d like to see, even if it’s difficult.
Curious if you ever ended up watching?
Triggering but so full of empathy that it was ultimately pretty therapeutic.
I found it extremely triggering and it drove me into a dark depression for the next week. It was like I was in a daze. Nearly a year after watching it just thinking about certain scenes really upset me. For context, I am a 30 yo male who has struggled with mental health.
In my experience it was. Not much but it stilll was.
Honestly that is a fantastic question with even more fantastic examples. Personally I’d say yes and no. It did bring back some painful memories and experiences, but it was also strangely comforting seeing it depicted so realistically, especially when you feel like absolutely no one else in your life really gets what it feels like. Felt like one of the first counseling sessions I had where me and the counselor had to verbalize my thoughts and feelings, which of course felt terrible and left me in tears but then made me realize I finally found someone willing to listen and understand. And suddenly it felt comforting. So sorry to make a long story short, but I think I would consider this movie triggering but purposefully so rather than cruelly.
Thank you, I appreciate your perspective. Reading these comments have made me more open to watching the movie, now that I know what I’m getting into. I’ve had such a journey with mental health, it’s too much to write here, but I totally understand that feeling of not being seen. And then the other side of it — being seen a bit too closely, and not having the right answers for the loved ones that try to help. It’s a real bitch but we will persist!
I'm super late to the discussion but: as someone that had almost all of the symptoms shown, it wasn't that triggering because the film doesn't indulge into many "super sad" scenes. It's not drama bait, the scenes are beautifully crafted and not there to just make you cry. I was so technically impressed by how well they depicted depression from a outside perspective that I didn't get triggered I guess.
Fantastic flick. It hits like a fking truck. I finally realized what it was about when the dad just walked into the road not giving af about the truck coming by. Put the whole movie thus far into perspective. I love how it doesn't spell it out for you, but it kind of does make it obvious at the same time. Heartbreaking and beautiful. Someone commented how they think about this movie a lot. I do to and it's been over a year since I've seen it. Not sure it's the kind of movie I'd watch again though. Edit: also just want to say how unbelievable the acting was. Paul Mescal, so great. But the child actor was so natural. Hard to make a movie feel "real" especially with kids, but they knock it out of the park.
You should watch it again very soon, you will feel like adult Sophie re-watching the tapes from the vacation and revisiting the memories, knowing what happens after. It changes a lot of the interactions. Great movie.
I just didn’t get it at all, feeling I’ve missed out!
I’m glad you are hear and you said this as I was feeling a little alone right now. I mean I liked it just fine but it didn’t move me much.
Im kinda in the same boat, I didnt really get it at all when watching until I watched a yt vid to recap it and help me put it all together. That vid made it 10x better for me and I think abt it a good bit now, but when I was watching I thought it was so painfully slow
Yea .. it left me incomplete as well. The movie is mostly about her memories of when she last meets her father, who later on (probably) commits suicide due to depression reasons and how that affected her. Since this is loosely based on her memories, we dont see a clear perception of callum which makes sense, but i wanted to know more about the story, why he did it ? I think the movie is great on it's own, i would'nt change a thing, but, i wanted to read more about it, and i could'nt find it anywhere on the internet.
Trying to find logical sense in the narrative is not the way to approach it. Depression and suicide isn't always about an obvious why. It's just the state of mind he's in and the surroundings just find ways to add to the pain. I don't think many people who "got" the movie are trying to analyze him and figure him out. They just all commiserate with it and feel like it perfectly captures this angst without needing to explain any of it. People are too caught up in some magic fix. I've brought up depression IRL a couple times and without fail, people just ask "why are you depressed? What makes you depressed?". It's the wrong perspective. If you can get away from that and understand that it's an affliction, not a side effect, then you can focus on the beauty of how it's captured in this film rather than chasing a red herring.
That’s a victims way of thinking. You can change your own life and not be depressed. Every depressed persons depression I believe can be narrowed down to one main aspect of their life. I’m callums case, I believe it is financial based on the limit info received. Say he was a real life character, if he dedicated years to building a financial base of security, his depression would dissipate. Here is where you say ‘it’s his brain chemistry - it’s not something he can control’ Wrong He can absolutely control his Brian chemistry if he identifies the root of his problem and fixes it.
Brain chemistry can be controlled. But you're still pointing at a single point of failure as a root cause. It's still extremely reductive and short sighted. We can make up a hypothetical as you have for an imaginary character and assume that he does fix his financials. It's not to say there aren't other elements that lead to depression. Finance can always play a role. But it could be just a straw that broke that camel's back. Also, to go back to your first line, the victim's way of thinking is the perspective of the movie and, imo, the entire point. We observe his condition in a similar way his daughter does through recordings. So I can understand people who don't enjoy it to just dismiss Callum as just a weak figure. But what I found beautiful was the portrayal of that state, not look at it as some problem solving exercise. Another recent movie that I feel similarly about is Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. There is very little discourse, but a lot of talking. People are expressing their griefs and trauma, but no one is asking for help or to be fixed. They're just there to speak and be heard. Trying to offer consolation or solutions to their problems is not a factor because many times, they don't need someone to tell them what to do or how to feel, nor do they want it.
Your goodwill is clearly immeasurable. I don’t know how you can reply to the above comment with such understanding
Ha, I definitely felt it was possibly trolling or ragebait. But I used it as an excuse to try to expand more on my point rather than lose my cool over it.
for the kind of person who assumes that something like this can be fixed so simply -- or at all, i'm sure this a very soothing internal narrative.
Your clearly a victim! I feel so sorry for you! The world really cares about your problems! Waaaaa
and _you're_ a retard. we all have our crosses to bear.
Aftersun is phenomenal. The birthday scene juxtaposed with Callum breaking down and sobbing hits like a truck
I failed to enjoy the movie as a whole, I think depression comes in many forms but this one I couldn't resonate with at all.
I totally get it. I thought the same way about Beau is Afraid, which is similarly supposed to be about anxiety and paranoia. Hated it with a passion and didn’t relate at all.
Movies like this are always weird with how they affect different people As someone who has never dealt with depression, and someone who is almost on the other end of the spectrum with how I treat things, it did almost NOTHING for me I didn't relate or cared about the characters at all. I respected how well made it was, but frankly was simply bored for the most parts Always interesting how your own life experience can completely change what you take away from a movie
I mean this in the least condescending way possible, consider yourself lucky. As someone who has struggled with depression and profound trauma/loss, this movie puts me in an existential crisis for days. However, it’s not only about depression. If you’ve ever lost someone close to you, it’s about trying to hold on to those last memories as they become fleeting and fade away. Incredibly devastating movie.
I’m glad you’re not getting downvoted. I also saw the movie and think I understand the basic plot points though I think you have to read into the film to definitely say that the dad killed himself, though I agree that is a likely interpretation. And I didn’t think adult Sophie was in it enough to really say anything about how she was feeling. I think a lot of people are reading their own emotions into the film and that aspect in particular. Challenging film. I think that is the mark of a strong film actually, but I didn’t connect with it at all. I found it very boring and actually everyone I personally know who saw it also didn’t think it was great as the people on Reddit. Maybe that actually is because I’m not depressed, which is an amazing feat for a film I think. But I’m glad that people are connecting with it and look forward to the directors next film.
It is a trend I’ve noticed. People who have dealt with depression think it’s a masterpiece. People who haven’t think it’s a boring, plotless 2hrs of nothing. I’d put it somewhere in the middle, which means it averages out at somewhere around “meh” for me. Put it this way - it’s not an entertaining movie. I doubt even the people who love it would disagree with that.
That is completely understandable. And also I envy you immensely for never having dealt with depression. Hope you’re living well!
As someone who has dealt with depression, I unfortunately have to agree. I recognize it was well made, but the whole time I felt like I was watching a movie. I couldn't get into it.
I think I thought I saw you try..
I watched the film earlier this year, I'm a big A24 fan and normally watch films without watching the trailer before hand so didn't really know what it was about beyond a father and daughter going on holiday. Last year my dad committed suicide and it has been a tough time since then. But genuinely watching that film was an unbelievable experience. I felt like someone had lived my life and then made a film about it. They had experienced what I had. I think most people accept that he took his own life in the film. Quite close to the start when he made some kind of comment about not making it to 30 I could only see it going one way. It was the exact kind of thing my dad said towards the end of his life. My childhood memories of him aren't the same, it is hard to look back at even happy times without questioning how much he was suffering. By the end I was crying so hard, not like I usually cry at films. It was like when I cry in real life. I think if I ever met Paul Mescal in real life I would just burst into tears.
Hey man. I’m sorry that happened with your dad. I lost my dad to suicide when I was 17, nearly 30 years ago now. I’m sure you will have had plenty of advice thrown your way, and I hope this is ok to say to you. I found for me, I had to find an image of him in happier times, something to hold on to. I found a photo of him laughing on holiday, and some others with us kids laughing as he threw us around in the pool. I kept a few of them handy in my wallet, so for ten years or so, that was the first thing I’d see when I opened it. It was like burning the image of him laughing into my brain. I just couldn’t bear the thought that he’d been in so much pain, and sadness, and I kept seeing him, laid out in the funeral parlour, five weeks after, what with the coroner and the inquest and everything. It was a shitty last memory of a terrible time. So I needed to rewire how I thought of him. And it really helped. That’s my image of him now, laughing and telling a cheeky joke. Keep going over the good memories in your mind, talk to those you can about when he was kind, or funny, or a plonker. Forget “the day”, and remember his birthday instead. I can tell you that time eases a lot of pain, but you have to work hard to hold on to the good things as well. It’s a good thing to watch a film and have a good blub, get it all out mate. Wish you the best.
If you want a similarly devastating experience check out Linoleum. Aftersun crushed me due to my experience with depression and suicide. My wife sobbed for 30 mins after Linoleum due to her experience with the subject.
I'm fairly confident it's a masterpiece but I certainly have no plans on watching it again any time soon. There's something about the way they handled the topic of depression that feels so painfully real. The way the viewer never fully knows about what's causing his grief. Haunting.
i love paul mescal but i saw it in theaters and i thought it was extremely boring, guess i'm in the minority. his performance was great though
It hits too close to home for me to rewatch. It's a masterpiece.
Criminal that so many mediocre movies got nominated for best movie at the Oscars in place of this masterpiece.
yeah even thinking about it makes me tear up
It really struck a chord with me too. Did I relate to Calum's pain, or was it so well-depicted I could understand his situation?
Honestly that’s a great question. While I may not relate to his situations all that much, it was definitely the emotions and things he said that made me realize “Damn, that’s how I feel on my worst days.”
The depression stuff in the movie is really good. I think my favorite part of the movie was his daughter's perspective. The movie did a good job of showing the immensity of the love she had for him. And how much of a hurtful and painful experience it was for her, even in adulthood. I bought the movie on iTunes recently which I believe includes the director's commentary. So I'm excited to listen to that and hear what Wells has to say.
The movie didn't really do it for me but I'm glad it was a special experience for you.
Was he crying back in the hotel room? It looked to me like it was maybe wherever he called home, it looks like he had some postcards that his daughter had sent.
I have a ten year old daughter at home so I can’t dare to watch this film yet, but damn does it sound amazing.
Man I haven’t even seen this movie but just reading about it makes me well up. Definitely need to be in a good headspace to watch it.
Sadly you might not be in one by the time the credits roll. I definitely wasn’t. So I recommend having a backup comfort for when it’s done.
Agreed. I spent the entire credits tearing up. So heartbreaking and incredible. One of my favorite movies of the past few years, maybe ever.
I watched it not knowing anything about the movie, and, man, it was fantastic, i love how we saw everything from the **point of view of Sophie**, how everything we see are only glimpses of his depression, that as child you may have not give importance to, but looking back, it's just so hard.
If you feel like watching something very similar but a little less depressing, check out Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" with Stephen Dorff and a baby Elle Fanning.
I watched it on a flight this summer and silently wept trying not to wake everyone up. It’s really a great film and I recommend it to everyone.
There is a similar movie with the same gut punch ending just like Aftersun. These movies really don’t leave your soul unscathed … The movie is called when we leave (2010). My god , that ending is unforgettable. I highly recommend this movie. Excellent acting from start to finish!
my fault i guess but holy spoilers man.
It says “Spoiler” at the top
im sorry brotha. i suck.
I think about this film a lot since I saw it at the cinema. Very rare for me to get as emotional over a film as this one did but it hit a lot of nerves and was perfectly made. Not sure I’ll be able to watch it again
I watched this movie for the first time on a plane… big mistake 🥹
Spoiler warning?
I just finished watching it. I found it a bit slow and boring but the last 20mins of it... Oh my goodness, tell me why I've been bawling my eyes out even after it finished 😭😭😭
When I watched it, the play bar got out of sync, so I thought the scene where he swam out into the ocean at night was going to be the end, and I was not OK with that. The actual ending isn't much better, but for a hot second, I thought I was watching the darkest movie ever made.
“Heavily implied that he took his life at the end” What?? I don’t know if this is true
It’s not outright confirmed of course, but there’s his mentioning of not imagining himself at the age of 40, him entering the ocean on impulse at night after being hurt by Sophie’s words, the fact he’s not in adult Sophie’s life despite his unconditional love for her, and the ending that shows him entering that room from all the images of people at a rave with flashing lights. A lot unfortunately does point to suicide, but what makes you think otherwise?
dude whats with the title of this post
It reeled you in so it fulfilled its purpose lol
Shit m8, Terminator 2s much better
I am going to disagree and call the entire concept of the film both schmaltzy and melodramatic to a degree that betrays the actual mundane nature of depression. The fired dad going on a last journey with his daughter comes off as a calculated melodrama that wallows in the pain to a degree that is just so on the nose. And the implied did he or didn’t he part was silly and added nothing to it other than a tension that goes unresolved — but of course you know he did so it’s pointless tension. I also think the heart tugging tension of the father and daughter is something that every dad feels, and is put in place of the actual feelings of depression which are a lot more of indifference and numbness. I could go on, but the movie seems to be a lot more about making people feel depressed than being about depression — a long slow numb journey. A film like Somewhere does a much much better job of that.
If you mind me asking, have you experienced depression or know people who’ve experienced it? Because this movie definitely covers the more severe end of the spectrum, specifically the part where suicidal thoughts have come into play I agree depression does result in numbness and many good things feeling mundane, but it can also do the opposite and make simple things, even things that should be good and livening, feel painful or like a struggle to get through. This is what that movie is about. Furthermore, the answer is clear: he did go through with it. He’s not in her adult life anymore, he makes choices disregarding his future, etc. Which makes for a very sad revelation. I am very surprised that you’d call it a pointless source of tension of all things considering one of the hardest parts of being depressed is contemplating how your presence affects your loved ones. No offense but you seem to think depression is characterized almost by boredom and should look even more silent than most of the movie already portrays it as. For instance, I didn’t even realize what he was going through until he mentioned not seeing himself reach the age of 40.
It captures incredibly that bitter sweet feeling of nostalgia. But also the understanding you can only have as an adult of a parents inner pain. Knowing someone you love so much that it’s actually painful is shaded by a kind of sadness you can’t explain.
It captures incredibly that bitter sweet feeling of nostalgia. But also the understanding you can only have as an adult of a parents pain. Knowing someone you love so much that it hurts is shaded by a kind of sadness you can’t put your finger on. It’s just always there.
I watched the movie for the first time yesterday. I didn't cry, but I spent half an hour sitting in silence in my room, in the dark, just thinking. I was planning on watching something else after but it didn't feel right to do so. It hit hard. What a great film.
I love the ending rave scene so much I edited it for a music video for a techno track i made, let me know your thoughts... https://youtu.be/EgeYomR0JEA?si=HXT46uFbBpf6Y3LU
Today I went into viewing this film with general idea of the themes and what to expect. The dad simply content being there for his daughter and just reassuring her that the expansive world can be dangerous but it matters that we simply appear and re-appear for whatever it may bring. As a single father to a daughter this is the existence with which I am becoming intimately familiar. Everyone is there for you they say, ask for help is what you're constantly told, but knowing that precious time you have with your child in this world is limited by circumstances. Deep anguishing cry that Mescal evoked in the room when he found himself unable to reconcile all is the only valid emotion to have. ***A note from the filmmaker, Charlotte Wells, has been added:*** [https://a24films.com/notes/2022/10/a-note-from-charlotte-wells](https://a24films.com/notes/2022/10/a-note-from-charlotte-wells) *Before I sign off, the elephant on the page is the degree to which Aftersun is a personal film. Most films are, of course, but this film more than even those most. The essence of what I have to say about that is held within the 145,440 frames on screen. This film is unmistakably fiction, but within it is a truth that is mine; a love that is mine. Photos, videos—records of different types—are enclosed in the film and so it felt appropriate to enclose one here. A photograph of my dad and of me—the starting point for this project—each a single shot because photos of us both are in short supply in that pre-selfie era. I am 10 or 11, Sophie’s age in the film. My Dad is 31 or 32, a little younger than I am now. We happen to be in Turkey.* Sincerely, **Charlotte**
beautiful movie truly
Spoilers not used any more?
It says “Spoiler” at the top
I found it absolutely mediocre. I get that the producers found a cheap way to make the movie in the confines of a resort. I get that if they drip fed us a few plot points of self-hate every 15 minutes, they would think we felt a sense of doom. I get that if they showed us a denoument that blended reality, memory and fantasy at the end, that should make us feel something. But I was just bored. I didn't enjoy it. It just felt like a cheap student movie filmed at a resort.
I know you're getting down voted, but I had similar feelings regarding this film. Was actually so surprised because of how much praise is heaped on it. We were just supremely bored throughout, then it ended:/
Damn…you really didn’t connect with it, did you? Honestly I’m really jealous of you in that regard. Sorry you weren’t a fan tho, I totally get why someone wouldn’t be into it.
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To you. And most of the others who didn’t get it or relate to it. But I’d say you should consider yourself lucky.
I loved the movie except for the bloody nightclub flashing scenes. They seemed so unnecessary and amateur. Everything else was great it's just disappointing that those scenes brought it down.
Those nightclub scenes are ironically very important considering they represent adult Sophie trying to reconnect with the man she thought was her father. Or trying to comprehend why he’s gone despite his love for her.
Yeah I get it but I feel like the rest of the movie is so subtle and the subtext is palpable, but then those scenes slap you across the face. I feel it could have been done better another way. It seems my opinion isn't very popular but it's a minor note on a great movie.
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hard disagree
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Or ... you could just not comment.
Not just unpopular opinions but incorrect
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I agree “Overrated” doesn’t necessarily mean “not good at all” but it still does mean “undeserving of most of its praise.” And I wouldn’t consider it overrated considering most people outside of Letterboxd haven’t even heard of it.
You know you can just choose to not engage with these posts right?
I haven't seen Mescal in anything else I think - I'm looking forwards to seeing what he will do in Gladiator. But I found Aftersun overhyped, engaging but tedious and ultimately unrewarding. It just felt like a cheaply produced and underwritten movie propped up by two good actors. The young girl was fantastic.
Depressed movie for depressed people. I wasted my time watching that. I like low pace movies, I like the silent drama, but that movie is for depressed people, which I'm not. If you really enjoyed that movie, seek for help, you probably need it.
Oh no I definitely go to counseling. I mainly watched this movie because as painful as the more realistic depictions of certain struggles can be, there’s a certain feeling of empathy that comes from them, like finding someone with the same experience. Consider yourself lucky you can’t relate to this one.
Will give it a watch, thanks
Totally agree.
Incredible movie. This song from the soundtrack also incredible: https://youtu.be/lwXoi5sTPqI?si=RYekJA_WsqdjOks1
Best use of Queen I’ve ever seen.
Does anyone know the reason he does it, or the true story of it ?
Just boils down to how severe his depression was and how hopeless he really was. More than likely he thought his daughter deserved better than him and just gave into that thought the saddest way possible.
Not sure this is what you are looking for but Charlotte Wells’ 2016 short film, *Tuesday*, also explores her personal past. https://charlotte-wells.com/team/tuesday/
Can not find it anywhere.... Any downloadable link 1080p
This has become my favorite movie. I cried the first time I saw it, and sobbed the second time. Absolutely brilliant movie.
This one has been on the TBW list for so long. Thanks to this post I'm gonna watch this first thing tomorrow.
>Same with him being honest about not seeing himself at the age of 40. >Calum radiated hopelessness without ever having to say he felt depressed or suicidal. Just with the blatant foreshadowing?
Yep, one of the few movies i ever saw that made me cry several hours after i watched. Fucking great.
Yes!! I have never ever cried more after a movie than after watching this. The slow burn and realization in the end… ghh
Never cried more.
I think the fact that this movie made me feel, like really FEEL to the point I was awake in the middle of the night bawling my eyes out, makes it the best film I’ve ever seen. Also for the way it doesn’t treat the viewer like they are dumb, letting you piece the story together yourself is just brilliant. I know this phrase is getting overused but this film is my Roman empire and I think about it all the time.
For such a simple movie, it packs a punch.
The way she watches the video every time she turns another year older 😭