Aftersun

Normal People’s Paul Mescal stars in this deeply felt Cannes-premiering drama about a father–daughter bond and the small moments that build it, and those that threaten to break it.

Eleven-year-old Sophie is on holiday in Turkey with her dad. He’s fun, supportive and attentive, though young enough to be mistaken for her brother; Sophie is old enough, and perceptive enough, to notice when his mood subtly shifts. But she’s enjoying their languid summer days together too much to worry. It’s only as an adult, sifting through her hazy childhood memories and MiniDV footage, that Sophie begins to understand that the father she remembers is a man she never knew.

A spectacular study of human frailty and familial bonding, Charlotte Wells’ debut feature has already garnered comparisons to the likes of Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here, MIFF 2018), Lucrecia Martel (Zama, MIFF 2018) and Barry Jenkins, the last of whom shares a producing credit here. Wells’ masterful direction and lived-in, naturalistic script are matched by exquisite performances from Mescal and newcomer Francesca Corio, who bring an empathetic vulnerability to their depiction of a father and daughter’s bond, while Gregory Oke’s sublime cinematography saturates the screen with colour. Capped off with a pitch-perfect soundtrack of late-90s pop, Aftersun is poetic, melancholic and evocative – a treasure that will linger long in your mind.

“Dazzling … Full of vitality, subtlety and promise, in what’s likely to be among the best first films of the year.” – Sight & Sound