Aftersun

this film to me is the absolute purest representation of a growing up with a young, single parent-child relationship. as an older sibling, i remember my grandma taking me everywhere being mistaken for my mum. and deep down i knew that hurt my mum’s feelings. she sacrificed her youth, her twenties, to care for me, and she did so with the upmost joy in her eyes. aftersun to me is an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. the holidays my mum saved up all her money to take us on, where the hotel wasn’t the nicest, the food was simple and the pool was small. but none of it mattered because we were together. paul mescal did an exceptional service to all the single fathers out there struggling with their own mental health problems, yet putting on that brave face. his acting was breathtaking, it felt like he fully immersed himself into the role. frankie corio was incredible, portraying a young and carefree child perfectly. the fact that this was her debut role is amazing. i hope to see her in more films in the future. the “under pressure” scene was, in my opinion, the best encapsulation of an entire film in three minutes i have ever seen. the desperation of calum to escape his struggles, and adult sophie’s inability to save her father from his presumed fate. incredible and tragic and beautiful all at the same time.