Aftersun

I can imagine it’d be hard to understand how Paul Mescal’s character could do what he did, knowing how it would affect his daughter and others who care about him. Depression manifests differently for everyone but I’ll explain it through my experience living with it. For me and, in my opinion, Paul Mescal’s character, depression isn’t equivalent to being sad. It’s more of an absence of happiness. Even in the one scene we see of him crying, I don’t believe he was crying for himself but for his daughter and her pain if he moves on. He has short bursts of energy like we see when he asks his daughter to dance, but for the most part, he’s apathetic to what’s happening around him. It is hard to live without the will to live. Almost nothing brings him joy, almost nothing is worth being awake for and living through that slog every day for a lifetime seems pointless. Ultimately, death can feel like the only escape from the weight of living.  For anyone who relates with these feelings, please get help. Talk with a psychiatrist. Medicine helped me live a fulfilling and happier life, and it’s likely that it will help you as well.