Aftersun

Alright, ready to review. First of all… debut?? Amazing. Good job, Charlotte!! Honestly wish that she was gonna get the “female director nod” of the year over Sarah Polley, but it’s all g. I love getting answers from a story, having a final ending and walking out of the theater with a fully accomplished tale. This movie gave me none of those things and I still loved it somehow. Paul Mescal portrays fragile masculinity so well. He can do more with his back to the camera than most male actors can do facing it. Frankie was so good!! She’s adorable and has that childhood snarky yet naive approach you love to see in a child actress. Probably the best kid performance since Jacob Tremblay in Room or Brooklynn Prince in Florida Project. The fractured memories on display here are so terribly banal, but also so important. We get to see the one clip of Calum refusing to give the interview on camera, but then answering Sophie off screen several times as it’s one of the few times he shows vulnerability in front of her. She has to piece the rest of it together. Spoiler alert… I’m guessing he died between the holiday and when she’s older? As he’s still the same age in the club scenes so that makes sense I think. I don’t think he actually walked into the ocean that time, seemed more like a conjured up scenario.  Love it love it love it, please see it when you can!