“Aftersun”- did any of you watch it?

I did see this movie, it was interesting , I wish they had more context to what situation the father got into the night he got drunk and ended up naked in bed.

R1 I don’t think there was any situation. That was the night he went up to bed early and his daughter didn’t wanna come. He fell asleep early and she was locked out.

Maybe he had some drinks but I don’t think there was much there to think of.

And Mescal dong in the movie?

R3 no.

Any gay content or themes?

the father is handsome and has a nice ass R5

R5 no. Because the world doesn’t revolve around us. I said what the movies about. A father and daughter. Jesus.

So what are his personal struggles

R8 wait… you think sexuality is the only struggle someone can have?

R8 men and women can have many issues in life that have nothing to do with sexuality. Maybe you should get off the internet and go out into the real world. Clearly the internet is doing you zero favors.

Paul Mescal is lovely. I need to watch him in other projects.

Such an odd film. There's a lot to respect in this - raw and creative cinematography, perfect acting, clever and observant script. But those detail describe a well crafted "small" film. Yet the film had such emotional power. The total way more than the sum of its parts.

R12 the girl who plays the daughter was wonderful, but Paul Mescal really kept me interested. He was so good. I loved this small film. I didn’t expect to.

Raw and creative cinematography, prefect acting, clear and observant script, such emotional power, and made me ravenous to lick Mescal's shitter.

R 10 is spot on. Stating the obvious but nobody cares

R10 you’re a jerk

It's a beautiful film. Really moving.

R16 It trolls a lot - block worthy

It was a beautiful film - I found it heartbreaking - even though it was so well done, I could never watch it again!

Does he show his cock?

R20 Already that failed attempt at R3.

I do not, and r10 is still a jerk.

Why do I get the impression one of the posters on here hasn’t even watched it?

Since I probably will never see it, could someone just provide spoilers:

Why is this trip the last time sophie sees Calum? Does he die or does he simply exit her life?

What is the significance of the rave scenes and the ending of his walking into the room with the rave?

What is the takeaway regarding theme?

Thank you for sharing this, OP! I love films like this - it's definitely on my 'must watch' list for the coming weeks.

Wasn't there stories of Mescal being a homophobic bully in drama school?

R24 One of its virtues is not supplying easy answers. None of your questions have clear answers,

I just assumed he committed suicide, but that was not shown in the least. Like great poetry, it's not what you make of the film, but rather what the film makes of you.

R27 is right. We can only assume what might have happened. But we will never know. We only know that he is severely depressed, hurting and broke, and he has made many mistakes. We also know that he adores his daughter. We see him crying at one point. He runs away one night and looks like he might have died that night (I know that he comes back to the room but....we never see him getting out of the water on a very dark, windy night). And that, whatever happened to her father, she might never get over what happened. It is heartbreaking.

He saw her off at the airport so we know he was still alive then.

Yes, but did you realize how strange the background was when he finished filming? Also, since it deals with her memory (even though there are recordings, they are still memories) we are never sure what is what or when is when. It is a puzzle that is missing too may pieces for ours to solve.

Spoiler alert (or rather, interpretation alert):

R28 R29 The scenes were not chronologically arranged always. Cuts back and forth in time. The scene of his walking off into the dark tide was presented as his "lost night" where he left her locked out of the room... but I took it to be what happened after he left her at the airport. He went back to the resort. The darkness overwhelmed him.

One of the few times I’m happy to see spoilers.

The trailer didn’t get me interested in seeing this film but I thought I might check it out on streaming but after reading about it here I’m definitely not going to watch.

R27 there isn’t an ounce of implication he committed suicide. He just cut ties with her and her mom.

[quote]Interspersed throughout the film are strobe-lit dance rave sequences featuring a crowd of dancing people, Calum in a stupor dancing, and a confused adult Sophie watching the rave unfold from afar. She attempts multiple times to close the distance between herself and Calum but fails, and an adult Sophie appears and angrily pushes her father over when she reaches him.

[quote]Later, Calum and Sophie are at the airport, signalling the end of their holiday and the last moment they spend in each other’s presence. He, waving goodbye, sends her off on her flight back home to her mother. Calum then turns around and walks down the hallway to the room of the dance rave.

Any interpretations of the importances of the raves?

Also, how does the title, Aftersun, fit in?

R33 the man is depressed. When his daughter sings happy birthday, he is very uncomfortable, and he cries when he is alone. I am not saying that he has committed suicide, but it is not out of the question.

He is happy when he isn’t with her. He feels no connection to her anymore.

I think it's rather heavily implied he kills himself.

I think it’s heavily implied he said goodbye and never looked back.

The young actress playing Sophie deserves an Oscar for this.

Good lord OP. I actually followed this thread and watched the film a few minutes ago. This one made me cry. If you ever possibly had a single parent or a

parent die when you were young, I think this film will have special meaning.. There are alot of times now where I think about my mother/father and how they

dealt with certain things, and even wanted to wake up in the morning.. (and I have far more respect for them now as I get into my forties)

This was an outstanding film.

There are a lot signs and some really beautiful symbolism, etc..

There is pretty much no doubt for me what happened to the dad.

I even just checked out the WIkI page, and I think it explains the film as good as anyone can.

That one scene toward the end of the dad alone really got me, as well as the very subtle shot of the meditation books, etc..

One of the best films I have seen in years.

Mescal on Graham Norton alluded to his character as having mental problems.

Mescal was spotted out with Angelina

Interesting but lethargic film that is nowhere near the MASTERPIECE it's been touted to be since Cannes.

This person thinks Mescal’s character may have been queer. But don’t all gay men assume that with everyone?

“In an ideal world, best actor would be between Paul Mescal and Colin Farrell this awards season”

Agreed.

“Lee Byung-hun in I Saw the Devil Paul Mescal in Aftersun Two internalized performances that set up an emotional trap on you, and then release it so, so powerfully.”

Has anyone watched I Saw The Devil? Was it good?

I would love Mescal to at least get nominated.

For whatever reason this film gets into your bones- and he really had a charisma of a star in this film.

R44 — aha !

R5 and r8

Paul Mescal for James Bond?

R49 that’s a rumor.

Months ago the director, Charlotte Wells, posted a picture of her and her dad when they were on vacation in Turkey. He was about 31 years old and she was about 11 years old. The characters in the movie are a fair approximation of the real characters in this picture. The picture is posted at link, but you may have to click into it to see the entire picture(s).

I can't find anything where she states clearly what happened to her father, but she seems to refer to him in the past tense in interviews and press junkets for the film.

Here's the source for the information on the real picture of her and her father. From Charlotte:

[quote] This film is unmistakably fiction, but within it is a truth that is mine; a love that is mine. Photos, videos—records of different types—are enclosed in the film and so it felt appropriate to enclose one here. A photograph of my dad and of me—the starting point for this project—each a single shot because photos of us both are in short supply in that pre-selfie era. I am 10 or 11, Sophie’s age in the film. My Dad is 31 or 32, a little younger than I am now. We happen to be in Turkey.

Adult Sophie is a lesbian with a partner and child so there's some gay content.

I got teary eyed when I saw Paul received that Oscar nom. Much deserved for such a beautiful, poignant, understated performance. He was lovely.

R54- I am thrilled for him-

The linked video compares the Aftersun script to the last 6 minutes of the movie.

IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE MOVIE YET, don’t watch the video and skip this post. You’ll never get the impact of the scene without seeing what comes before it in the film.

IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE, you may be interested in this presentation of the end of the film with the script comparison. It reveals a couple of interesting things:

The script makes it clearer what adult Sophie is doing while dancing with the memory of her father. It’s sometimes hard to make out her reactions in the strobe lights of the rave.

Also, the script doesn’t end with the last scene used in the movie. The script includes two small scenes that were to follow the movie’s last scene, but they were eventually discarded. They apparently decided it was too hard to add anything to the final scene in the movie where Calum walks down the airport hallway, opens the double doors, and enters his daughter’s everlasting memory. The audience is left alone in that cold, florescent lit hallway, staring at the strobe-light flashes leaking behind the double doors. THE END.

What a beautiful, heart-wrenching movie. I adored it, and it will stick with me.

R57 I loved it too. And I just happened to stumble across it. I never heard of it and saw a photo of it and read what it was about, so I looked it up and rented it on iTunes. I loved it and it really struck a chord with me, and that’s when I made the thread to recommend it to you all. It was lovely.

I liked it. It bothers me a little that I didn’t have the same reaction as most of the comments I’ve read. Not sure if I’m getting less sympathetic and more empathic as I get older. I was expecting full-on waterworks, but they never came.

There were several obvious signs that Menscal’s character committed suicide. Through the mundane--yet informative-- conversations with his daughter, we find out A LOT of shit, and if you’re not paying attention, you'll miss it ALL He’s had several failed relationships--personal and business--and is still “working on something with Keith” confirming he’s THAT guy and why he keeps getting dumped. He’s a loser. A good-looking, kind-hearted loser.

The comment about the singing lessons and the “Money that he doesn’t have” and his reaction was a gut punch cause his misfortunes were confirmed through his daughter. Her singing “Losing My Religion” confirms the timeline AND neatly fits into the narrative. His suddenly wearing all Black walking into the ocean, the soulful crying, and the telltale, “Under Pressure” which I always thought is about suicide. I mean…there were so MANY suicide movie tropes that you’re kinda dodging them. Plus her reaction to his death is more in line with that than to his simply dying of natural causes. I assumed that was her lover--not her mother--that she was living with because they were subtle clues about her sexuality.

Wow, before I type that I wasn’t feeling Menscal’s nomination BUT now I get it. He said so much without saying anything.

FUCK, sorry about how long that is. I just watched it last night and it' s on my mind.

FUCK p2. Mescal!! Goddam spellcheck

R59 why would you have feelings about his Oscar without seeing the film? That seems immature.

Also, no one on here labeled it a tear-jerker.

It was an absolutely note perfect film. Shockingly poignant, original and ultimately heartbreaking. Mescal should win *all* the awards.

And he obviously committed suicide. Egads some of you are dense.

[quote]why would you have feelings about his Oscar without seeing the film? That seems immature.

R59 wasn't saying he had thoughts about the Oscar nod without seeing the film. He was saying that he wasn't feeling it immediately after seeing the film, but upon further reflection and typing out his thoughts, he now is feeling it.

[quote]Also, no one on here labeled it a tear-jerker.

Well, I cried.

R64 it isn’t obvious. You can keep saying it but that doesn’t make it a fact.

It is implied several times that he took his own life, but it is never discussed or shown.

R65 Thanks. Crazy how people see something that's just not there. BTW R62 I read a gazillion comments--not reviews-- on various websites including YouTube, IDMB, etc. before watching the film and the consensus is that it's the saddest movie of recent.

R66 You've REALLY got to be a booger-eating moron--OR a contrarian in your case--to not realize that he killed himself. Seriously. The entire movie is built around HER memories especially the rave at the end where she's CLEARLY trying to save him...FROM HIMSELF.

Not to mention two well-known songs about suicide. That's pretty heavy foreshadowing.

R68 why did you just reply to yourself?

R69 Because I didn't?

I agree, R53. Total slogfest. And yes, he commits suicide. How could anyone come away from the movie not knowing that?

One man's slogfest is another man's thoughtful rumination.

Imagine continuously replying to yourself

Thanks to R56 for labeling your post.

Unfortunately others did not and now I may as well not fucking watch it.

But based on your posting history you have watched it

I’m watching it now, but I’m distracted because Mescal looks too young to be the dad of a 11 year old. Maybe because I last saw him in Normal People were he was a college student.

The film acknowledges that he looks too young to be her father by having some of the hotel guests mistake him for her brother. And unlike that mistake being made everyday in the world of Datalounge, it doesn't actually make him feel good to not be seen as her father. Paul is 27 and he's playing 31.

I thought he looked a bit young in the film to be playing 31 as well.

He’s 26.

I never thought I'd see a post on DL complaining about an actor being too young.

He was playing a 31 YO. But even if he was playing a 26 year old (his real life age when this was released) he could still be the father of an 11 YO. Teenage parents are real, and in a way it would make his disconnect with her even sadder.

What language are they speaking?

I think we get that, R81. Nonetheless, he did not look 31. I thought the film was just ok, typical artsy fair that thinks it could get away with lack of plot because, well, it’s artsy.

The film wasn’t artsy at all…

I mean...he looks every bit of 31 IMO. I had no idea that he's still in his twenties. His being a young father definitely adds to the character's disregard of consequences.

I thought this movie promised more than it delivered. It was a good premise poorly executed.

Sounds like a lovely and honest and thought-provoking work. As a daughter of an emotionally-distant father, though, I can’t bring myself to watch it. It will just trigger my depression, as the kids say.

Yes, I did. But basically because the young dad looked hot in the trailer. He was OK, one of those people who look great and then 10 seconds later look like a troll depending on the angle.

Oh, and the movie was boring as shit. Millennial navel-gazing.

If I was his son I’d be presenting hole and sucking daddy dick every day. Incest is a unique part of gay sexuality and I don’t like str8 an intruding into that space. Dad son sex is a sacred act of male communion.

Nice but over hyped. I felt similarly about Boyhood. Critics are too adoring of somber and realistic coming of age tales.

Dear God. He keeps commenting over and over as if his negative comments are going to keep GROWN ASS ADULTS from seeing it. This isn’t middle school, and it seems this film was not for someone like you, someone with no job who lives on DL trolling.

R91 has trouble with dissenting opinions, it would seem. Are you talking to anyone in particular?

R92 no, I encourage opinions. I don’t encourage a looney unemployed freak commenting over and over from different accounts that lead to the same location.

[quote] has trouble with dissenting opinions, it would seem. Are you talking to anyone in particular?

I’m wondering if there is a publicist on this thread or they started it. People see movies and have varying opinions. They should go look at Rotten Tomatoes. Very weird comment at R91.

R94 I think R91 believes that he's successfully discovered a perp through some trolldar method posters use to "catch" people.

Charlotte Wells, the director of Aftersun, just won a directors guild award tonight for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director."

Now on to BAFTA.

R96 she won the BAFTA tonight. Much deserved. And I loved her speech. She seems so cool and chill.

It was a beautiful film.

It went in directions I wasn't expecting.

At first, it was sort of creeping me out. With the implication that they had to share a bed (later revealed to be false) and all the smearing of lotion, I was getting a creepy incest foreshadowing.

And then when she goes looking for her father and spies on two men making out in an alcove, I thought one of them was going to be revealed to be her father. It wasn't, but I still wondered if that was in there to tell us something about him.

The problem I had with the movie was with the crucial rave scenes. With the constant strobing, it was very difficult to make out what was going on. I didn't get that it was the adult daughter at first. Because he looked the same age, I assumed that this was a more recent memory. I thought maybe he was meeting his wife.

[quote] Incest is a unique part of gay sexuality and I don’t like str8 an intruding into that space. Dad son sex is a sacred act of male communion.

Too much porn + too little mental health = comments like this, even in jest

R98 he was the same age because the rave scenes represent her memories of him and he was the same age in those moments as he was when she was a kid because that was the last time she saw him, so that is what he looks like in all her thoughts of him. She remembers him in the final moment she ever saw him (as most of us would) and he lives in her memory as the same 31 year old man, 20 years later.

If the movie is her memory of him, why do we see her waving at the airport? Wouldn’t the memory be from her perspective, ie, the image of him waving or at least the image of him reacting to her waving? Isn’t that how memory works?

This movie was merely “Meh” for me, dawg, and that lead guy ain’t all that

R101 it’s a movie. Not a fucking documentary where a girl recorded her vacation with her father. We are gonna see both of them.

The rave scene didn’t actually happen.

R101, the uneducated BROKE mofo with no job who lives on DL didn’t even watch the movie. As if a movie like this would hold the attention of someone so uneducated and bottom-tier.

[quote]If the movie is her memory of him, why do we see her waving at the airport? Wouldn’t the memory be from her perspective, ie, the image of him waving or at least the image of him reacting to her waving? Isn’t that how memory works?

Isn't she watching the video that her father took at the airport on her TV? So it will be from HIS perspective.

I assume she recovered the camera after he died.

We don’t even know that he died lmao. The movie leaves it very open.

R105 Some of us don't need to see someone swinging from a rope to know that they died.

We don't need everything beat over our heads to get it.

[quote]The movie leaves it very open.

Media literacy is in the toilet. He died.

[quote] We don’t even know that he died lmao. The movie leaves it very open.

The movie does leave it open a bit, but when you put the pieces together the viewer is left with the impression that the worst happened to him.

I've seen several interviews with the director, and someone in the audience finally asked her about her father. She didn't want to talk about it in any detail, but she did say her father died, and that he died soon after their vacation together. That's all she would say.

Her father looks gay in that pic.

I said it up thread but there is a TON of foreshadowing. There are two pretty big songs associated with suicide in the film.

ALSO? The entire movie is based on her memories as she's sadly watching videos. Would she be doing that if he were still alive?

I mean...it's NOT neuroscience.

The most unforgettable parts of this film was the subtle ways the film implied the father was in the midst of a depression. I honestly thought when we walked towards the ocean at night, he wasn’t coming back. It’s pretty obvious to me he committed suicide.

R110 have you thought that he possibly… abandoned her???? Death isn’t the only way to lose contact with someone. You can’t possibly be that dense…

Abandonment was foreshadowed in a much larger scale than death.

R111 we know. You’ve said the same thing over and over again on more than one account. I would slow that down before Muriel catches wind and red tags them all.

This.

R113 Are you the same poster who thinks that people are logging into different accounts to post in this thread? You need to chill. Fuck is wrong with you?

R112 Nah. Abandonment never crossed my mind because there’s really no sign of that being the reason she’s grieving as an adult. Dude, if we watched the same film, you saw that she was a precocious child and knew that her father was a loser. She knew what was up. She didn’t OUTWARDLY appear to suffer from him not being present in her life. Not saying that wasn’t a factor in her grief, as I imagine it would be, BUT they practically dropped an anvil on your head that it was suicide.

You’re being argumentative--which is fine--if you actually had something to contribute.

R115 what don’t you get at this point??? We know anytime you post. Get it.

The way this brilliant film re-contextualized the song “Under Pressure” is incredible. Now anytime I hear that song I think of Callum.

PS, the “club” scenes represent adult Sophie finally seeing and understanding her fathers dark parts and depression now that she is an adult. She didn’t understand it at the time but now, as she replays that final vacation with him in her head, she sees it.

Who does the lesbian actress play?

This young man who is studying film at UCF loved it. Like myself upthread in the OP, he said Mescal should be nominated for an Oscar but most likely won’t. Happy we were both proven wrong.

This young woman says this film has the most accurate portrayal of depressions she’s seen in a film.