AFTERSUN (2022) – My rating: 3.5/10

Aftersun is a coming-of-age drama written and directed by Charlotte Wells. The film follows an 11-year-old Scottish girl, on vacation with her father at a Turkish resort on the eve of his 31st birthday. I can add Aftersun to the list of movies I never heard of until it was nominated for an Academy award.  I absolutely did not like Aftersun. I think I’ve discovered I don’t much like films that are categorized as coming of age. I don’t feel this way without reason, I just really didn’t like Aftersun.

Set in the early 2000s, Eleven-year-old Sophie Lesley Patterson (Frankie Corio) takes a summer holiday to Turkey with her loving 30-year-old Scottish father Calum Aaron Patterson (Paul Mescal). Sophie records the holiday on a MiniDV camera, the footage of which is interspersed throughout the film. Over the course of the holiday, Sophie observes the teenagers on the Turkish resort engage in and discuss sexual and romantic activities. She also meets with and plays arcade games with Toby, (Harry Perdios) a boy around her age. Calum exhibits signs of depression and detachment, which he tries to hide from his daughter, keeping up a façade of contentment during the holiday. He is amicably separated from Sophie’s mother and is dealing with occupational and financial struggles. During his time alone on the holiday, he is seen engaging in Tai chi patterns and reading self-help books.

The above intro into Aftersun is pretty much how the entire movie is set up. There is not much more to the story. I found the Aftersun to be boring with the camera sequences shot by Sophie making it a bit confusing. I found the character, Calum to be depressing (so his performance was great since he was supposed to be depressed). I just found Aftersun to be mundane with no apparent message, and uneventful.  There is nothing I can add that will help save this review or this boring movie.  I wouldn’t suggest anyone actually pay the $4.99 on Prime Video to rent this film or bother to see Aftersun, I think it’s pointless but if you’re curious, Check It Out.

Aftersun has grossed a Domestic sum of $1,525,920 (32%), and an  International sum of $3,235,488 (68%), Totalling $4,761,408 Worldwide. On Rotten Tomatoes, Aftersun holds an approval rating of 95% based on 208 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website’s critic’s consensus reads, “Led by Frankie Corio’s tremendous performance, Aftersun deftly ushers audiences to the intersection between our memories of loved ones and who they really are.”

 

[AFTERSUN is Oscar-Nominated at the 95th Academy Awards for Best Actor — totaling 1 Nomination]