Aftersun * * * *

Sophie and Callum, out of the shadows

There is no real plot here, nothing to be resolved, no dreams to be realised or problems to be overcome -  and yet you remain fascinated.

The natural dialogue is beautiful and thoroughly believable, but Aftersun also gets to you with what is unsaid. 

The period is about twenty years ago.  Sophie is eleven years old. She is on holiday in Turkey with her youthful dad, Callum.  Sophie does  not appear to be traumatized by the divorce her parents have gone through. Her parents still speak to each other with care and civility and even with love. 

Sophie and Callum (Paul Mescal) are staying at a holiday resort.  One of those one-stop places with swimming pools, bars, restaurants, activities etc.  Most of the guests seem to be from the UK.  

Callum has a video camera which Sophie uses a lot. When she does, we see everything subjectively.  Her adolescent filming of their holiday with shaky camera and cheeky voice-over is an endearing mess.  

But most of the time we are observing Sophie and Callum through the lens of director Charlotte Wells.  (Remarkably this excellent film is her first feature).

Callum is a committed father.  He probably wouldn't mind flirting with some of the young women at the resort, and he probably wouldn't mind having a few drinks, but this is a holiday with his eleven year old daughter and she is his first responsibility.  Nevertheless one night he gets it wrong, leaving Sophie to her own devices. 

Like Close, Aftersun  is an extraordinarily intimate film where we find ourselves, at times, uncomfortably close to the performers.  For a "Dad and Daughter" film it would be one of the best I have seen, reminding me at times of Sofia Coppola's Somewhere. 

It is sweet without being saccharine. Funny without being contrived.  It is also very touching. You cannot help but care for these people.

As is conveyed at the beginning, the holiday was  from twenty years ago. So how are things with Sophie and Callum today?   We are given a glimpse, which gently suggests a conclusion that I found melancholic but somewhat expected.  Yet, it also allows you a different interpretation if you would prefer to simply hold onto the memory of their sweet holiday. 

Either way this lovely modest film will leave you thinking about Sophie and Callum long after the credits roll.