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Aftersun
In a grainy texture reminiscent of early camcorder footage, a man and a young girl sit at the beach looking towards the horizon. The girl glances over at him. The word "aftersun" is placed above them in big letters. Below them, the image fades out in glitchy effects.
Release poster
Directed byCharlotte Wells
Written byCharlotte Wells
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGregory Oke
Edited byBlair McClendon
Music byOliver Coates
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Mubi (United Kingdom)
  • A24 (United States)
Release dates
  • 21 May 2022 (2022-05-21) (Cannes)
  • 21 October 2022 (2022-10-21) (United States)
  • 18 November 2022 (2022-11-18) (United Kingdom)
Running time
101 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$9.7 million[1][2]

Aftersun is a 2022 semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Charlotte Wells in her feature directorial debut. Starring Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, and Celia Rowlson-Hall, the film is loosely based on Wells' childhood and follows an 11-year-old Scottish girl on holiday with her father at a Turkish resort on the eve of his 31st birthday.

Aftersun had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2022, where Wells was nominated for the Caméra d'Or. It was theatrically released in the United States on 21 October and in the United Kingdom on 18 November. The film received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the direction, screenplay, cinematography, visuals, and performances of Corio and Mescal.

Aftersun received four nominations at the 76th BAFTA Awards, where Wells won for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.[3] Mescal was nominated as Best Lead Actor at the 95th Academy Awards, in addition to receiving BAFTA nomination in the same category. The National Board of Review named Aftersun one of the best films of 2022[4] and Sight and Sound ranked it first on its list of the best films of 2022.[5] Since then, it has been cited as among the best films of the 2020s and the 21st century.[6][7][8]

Plot

[edit]

In 1999, Scottish 11-year-old Sophie Patterson travels to a Turkish holiday resort with her 30-year-old father, Calum, who moved to London after separating amicably from her mother. Sophie records the holiday on a MiniDV camera, the footage of which is interspersed throughout the film. Over the course of the holiday, Sophie befriends and observes various teenage English tourists at the resort, often meeting and playing arcade games with a boy named Michael. Calum exhibits signs of depression, anxiety, and internal turmoil, which he tries to hide from Sophie beneath a facade of contentment. During his time alone, he practices tai chi and reads self-help books; he also smokes, which he hides from Sophie.

One day, Sophie and Calum go scuba diving and she loses her expensive scuba mask; Calum feigns nonchalance, but Sophie senses his actual feelings, says she knows the mask was expensive, and comforts him. Calum later tells their diving instructor that he is surprised he has lived to be 30. Soon after, Calum and Sophie go to a rug shop, where she sees him grapple with the cost of one he likes. He declines to buy the rug, but later returns alone and buys it.

The next night, Sophie and Calum attend a karaoke night and Sophie signs them up for a song. Calum refuses to sing with Sophie despite her insistence, and she sings "Losing My Religion" alone as Calum watches. Upset by being left alone by him, Sophie refuses to return to their room with him and hangs out with some other tourists she previously met playing billiards. Michael creeps up on Sophie from behind, frightening her. They later kiss beside a pool. Meanwhile, Calum goes to the beach and walks into the ocean. When Sophie returns to their room, she finds him asleep naked and gently covers him with a sheet.

The two reconcile the next day while travelling to the mud baths, and Calum apologises for his behaviour the previous night. Sophie surprises him by having other tourists sing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" for his 31st birthday. Calum watches stoically. He is shown sobbing in the hotel room alone; on the floor is a postcard addressed to Sophie that tells her to never forget that he loves her. On the last night of their holiday, Calum and Sophie dance to "Under Pressure" in a loving embrace. In the morning, at the airport, Calum waves goodbye and sends Sophie off on her flight home. In the present day, the adult Sophie lives in New York with her wife and young child. The rug that Calum bought, now worn with use, lies on their bedroom floor. Sophie watches the video footage from the holiday in Turkey.

Interspersed throughout the film are abstract, dreamlike sequences in which the adult Sophie stands in the middle of a crowded rave, catching glimpses of Calum dancing frantically through strobing lights. Throughout the sequences, Sophie attempts to get closer to him, eventually briefly embracing him; with their hands wrapped around each other, Calum ultimately falls from Sophie's grasp. In the final scene, Calum packs the camcorder away and walks down the airport hallway after having waved goodbye to Sophie, opening the doors to the rave.

Cast

[edit]
  • Paul Mescal as Calum Patterson
  • Frankie Corio as Sophie Patterson
  • Brooklyn Toulson as Michael
  • Sally Messham as Belinda
  • Spike Fearn as Olly
  • Harry Perdios as Toby
  • Ruby Thompson as Laura
  • Ethan James Smith as Scott
  • Kayleigh Coleman as Jane

Production

[edit]

Aftersun is director and writer Charlotte Wells' feature film debut. Calling it "emotionally autobiographical", she sought to delve into "a different period" in a relationship between a young parent and a daughter than what she explored in her 2015 debut short film Tuesday.[9] Frankie Corio was one of over 800 applicants before being cast.[9] Filming took place in Ölüdeniz, Turkey.[10] During the two-week rehearsal period Corio and Mescal spent time at a holiday resort in order to make their dynamic more authentic.[11]

In 2025, Charlotte Wells spoke about the production of Aftersun and her collaboration with Mescal, calling their partnership "the start of a potential De Niro–Scorsese relationship". She discussed the film's continued resonance while serving on the Bright Horizons jury at the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, where she chaired the Luigi De Laurentiis Award jury.[12][13]

Music

[edit]

Soundtrack

[edit]
  1. Mac Prindy – "High Hopes"
  2. The Lightning Seeds – "Lucky You"
  3. Los del Río – "Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)"
  4. Aqua – "My Oh My"
  5. Catatonia – "Road Rage"
  6. Blur – "Tender"
  7. Bran van 3000 – "Drinking in L.A."
  8. Deacon Blue – "Real Gone Kid"
  9. Steps – "5,6,7,8"
  10. R.E.M – "Losing My Religion"
  11. The Righteous Brothers – "Unchained Melody"
  12. Chumbawamba – "Tubthumping"
  13. The Paragons – "The Tide is High"
  14. All Saints – "Never Ever"
  15. Candan Erçetin – "Gamsiz Hayat"
  16. Queen and David Bowie – "Under Pressure"[14]

Score

[edit]

Oliver Coates wrote and composed the film's original score.

Release and reception

[edit]

The film premiered as part of Critics' Week during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival,[15] where it won a jury prize.[16] It screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival,[17] the Melbourne International Film Festival,[18] the Telluride Film Festival,[19] the Toronto International Film Festival,[20] the BFI London Film Festival,[21] the New York Film Festival,[22] the New Hampshire Film Festival,[23] the Adelaide Film Festival,[24] and the Athens International Film Festival.[25]

Aftersun was distributed in Austria, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Latin America, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom by Mubi and in the United States and Canada by A24.[26][27] It was released in the United States on 21 October 2022 and in the United Kingdom on 18 November.[28][29] The film was released for video on demand in the United States on 20 December[30] and was made available to stream on Mubi on 5 January 2023 in countries where Mubi distributes the film.

Critical response

[edit]
Paul Mescal garnered critical acclaim for his performance and earned Oscar and BAFTA nominations for Best Lead Actor.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Aftersun holds an approval rating of 96% based on 245 reviews, with an average rating of 8.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Led by Frankie Corio's tremendous performance, Aftersun deftly ushers audiences to the intersection between our memories of loved ones and who they really are."[31] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 95 out of 100 based on 46 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[32]

The New York Times critic A.O. Scott called the film "astonishing and devastating", writing that Wells was "very nearly reinventing the language of film, unlocking the medium's often dormant potential to disclose inner worlds of consciousness and feeling."[33] Screen Daily's Fionnuala Halligan wrote that Wells' "measured but relentless probing ... mark her out as one of the most promising new voices in British cinema in recent years".[34] Guy Lodge of Variety called the film "sensuous, sharply moving".[35] Carlos Aguilar of TheWrap praised Gregory Oke's "visually fluid" cinematography, saying it "evokes a radiant melancholia".[36] In Empire, Beth Webb called the film a "deftly orchestrated, empathetic and honest character study" and "A triumph of new British filmmaking."[37] In 2023, filmmaker Claire Denis said: "Never before have I felt the power of a point of view that immerses us into gazes that dare to secretly spar in front of the lens of a small videocamera. We are pulled in by the characters' words too, which comprise a kind of game that slowly reveals the father to his almost adolescent daughter."[38] In 2024, filmmaker Christopher Nolan said Aftersun was one of his favorite films, calling it "just a beautiful film".[39] In 2025, actors Vicky Krieps, Dolly de Leon and Stephen Merchant, composer Carter Burwell, and filmmakers Sofia Coppola and Joachim Trier listed Aftersun among their favorite films of the 21st century.[40]

Several critics have pointed out the film's resonances with the work of Margaret Tait; as Mark Kermode of The Guardian writes, "There are also clear traces of the films of Margaret Tait in Wells's craft, specifically Blue Black Permanent (1992), which seems to have served as a tonal reference (a volume of Tait's writings is prominently displayed on screen)."[41] In an interview, Wells acknowledged Tait's impact on her, particularly Blue Black Permanent, saying, "It's a special film and it relates in many ways to what I was doing".[42] A copy of Tait's Poems, Stories and Writings lies between a tai chi manual and a self-help book in Calum's pile of holiday readings. Pat Brown of Slant Magazine called the film's "Under Pressure" sequence one of the best movie scenes of 2022, saying that it "brings to the surface what was kept simmering throughout: the searing pain of loss that's led Sophie to reflect on the past."[43]

In 2024, Collider ranked the film sixth on its list of the "30 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)," with Jeremy Urquhart calling it "a film about growing up and reinterpreting who your parents are or were, as people, once you're old enough to see the world how they might've seen it when you were just a kid. Any descriptions of what Aftersun is about—or what emotions it inspires—ultimately undersell it. One really has to watch it and engage with it to feel and understand exactly what it's going for." Business Insider included it on its list of the "25 Best British Movies of the Last Ten Years".[44] IndieWire ranked a line spoken by Sophie ("I think it’s nice that we share the same sky") 10th on its list of the "22 Best Movie Quotes of 2022".[45] The site also ranked the film third on its list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)" in June 2025.[46] In 2025, Aftersun ranked 78th on The New York Times's list of the "100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and 35th on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.[47][48]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Main article: List of accolades received by Aftersun

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Aftersun

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Aftersun is a British semi-autobiographical drama film written and directed by in her feature directorial debut. The story centers on 11-year-old Sophie and her father Calum during a holiday at a fading Turkish resort, interweaving her childhood memories with adult reflections two decades later on their bond amid his hidden emotional turmoil. Starring as Calum and newcomer as Sophie, the film premiered at the on 21 May , where it competed in the section and won the French Touch Jury Prize. It received a in the United States on 21 October , distributed by , and has since been made available for streaming on various platforms, including MUBI. The film's intimate portrayal of familial and loss drew widespread critical acclaim for its subtle performances, innovative use of and Super 8 footage, and Wells's evocative screenplay. It holds a 96% approval rating on based on 246 reviews, with critics praising its emotional depth and restraint. Aftersun earned numerous accolades, including seven wins at the 2022 (BIFA), such as Best British Independent , Best Director, and Best Screenplay for Wells. At the , Mescal received a nomination for , while Wells won the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer at the BAFTA Awards. Additional honors include the Best First Feature at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards and Best Picture from the . In 2025, it ranked 78th on The New York Times's list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st . The film's success marked a breakthrough for Wells, highlighting her ability to blend personal with universal themes of and .

Plot

At a fading Turkish resort in the 1990s, 11-year-old Sophie spends a holiday with her father Calum, recording their activities on a camcorder. The narrative interweaves these moments—swimming in the pool, playing arcade games, taking a boat trip, and celebrating Calum's birthday—with adult Sophie's reflections two decades later as she watches the footage, grappling with the nuances of their relationship and his concealed personal struggles.

Cast

  • Paul Mescal as Calum
  • Frankie Corio as Sophie
  • Celia Rowlson-Hall as adult Sophie
  • Brooklyn Toulson as Michael
  • Sally Messham as Belinda

Production

Development

Aftersun was inspired by writer-director ' own childhood memories, particularly home videos she recorded with her father during family holidays, which served as a starting point for exploring themes of memory and loss. Wells' father died when she was 16, an event that profoundly influenced the film's semi-autobiographical elements, though she has emphasized that the story is fictionalized and not a direct recreation of her life. The use of footage in the narrative reflects Wells' limited personal recordings of her father, with only sparse existing material shaping her approach to depicting fragmented recollections. Wells began developing the script during her time in New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film program, where she pursued a dual MBA/MFA degree and created three short films: Tuesday (2015), Laps (2016), and Blue Christmas (2017). These shorts, which screened at international festivals and earned awards like a Short Film Special Jury Prize for Laps at Sundance, marked her transition from producing to directing and writing, building toward her feature debut. The Aftersun screenplay emerged from an independent study in her final year, evolving through revisions that incorporated the video camera as a narrative device to represent the young protagonist's perspective. In 2020, the project was selected for the Sundance Institute's Directors & Screenwriters Lab, where Wells refined its structure and emotional ambiguity. Funding for Aftersun was secured through a collaboration of public and independent sources, reflecting its status as a low- independent production with an estimated of £2.2 million (about $3 million). Key support came from , the (awarding National Lottery funding), and Screen Scotland, which provided £350,000 in production and development grants. This financing enabled in 2021, with the project's momentum building after Wells shared the script with potential partners who encouraged her to clarify its poignant, open-ended conclusion. In May 2022, following its premiere at the Film Festival's sidebar, Mubi acquired international distribution rights for multiple territories, including the , , and , further bolstering its rollout as a critically acclaimed indie drama.

Casting

The casting process for the lead role of young Sophie began with an open call posted on by casting director Lucy Pardee, targeting tomboyish girls aged 10 to 12, which garnered approximately 800 submissions. From these, 16 children were shortlisted for in-person auditions in in December 2020, where , then 10 years old and with no prior experience, stood out for her curiosity and ability to engage with the period setting, including interactions with a . Director ultimately selected Corio after a Zoom chemistry read with , during which the pair connected instantly through casual conversation, a game of two truths and a lie, and scene work, highlighting their instinctive rapport essential for the father-daughter dynamic. Paul Mescal became attached to the project shortly after receiving the script, which he read in one sitting and found profoundly moving due to its exploration of emotional vulnerability and fatherhood—a theme that resonated following his emotionally demanding role in Normal People. At 24 years old during casting, Mescal was initially viewed as slightly young for the 30-year-old character of Calum but was chosen for his capacity to convey quiet intensity and paternal tenderness, subverting audience expectations from his earlier work while submitting a self-tape of the character smoking and dancing to Blur. To foster authenticity between the leads, Wells organized two weeks of rehearsals at the Turkish resort serving as the film's primary location, where Mescal and Corio bonded through unstructured activities like , playing pool, and exploring the grounds, supplemented by exercises and practice with a to capture spontaneous interactions mirroring a real holiday. This immersive preparation emphasized relational chemistry over scripted line readings, allowing Corio's reactions to feel organic during filming. The supporting roles were filled primarily with lesser-known actors and local Turkish talent, such as Nijat Gachayev as the Turk Hotel receptionist, to ground the production in cultural realism and avoid drawing attention from the central performances. Mescal's portrayal of Calum earned widespread critical acclaim for its nuanced depiction of hidden turmoil, contributing to the film's emotional resonance.

Filming

Principal photography for Aftersun took place over approximately five to six weeks from late to early August 2021, primarily at the resort in , . The location was selected for its evocative, unchanged resort atmosphere that captured the nostalgic feel of family holidays, drawing on director ' childhood memories and informed by archival '90s photos of the area to ensure authenticity. Key sites included the Telmessos Neva Hotel in the nearby region, Belcekiz Beach, and surrounding areas like Sultaniye and , which provided a mix of sunny beaches, hotel interiors, and natural landscapes central to the story's intimate setting. The film was shot on 35mm using an ARRICAM LT camera with Cooke S4 lenses and (200T 5213 and 500T 5219) to achieve a warm, textured look reminiscent of personal memory. sequences were recreated using MiniDV to mimic the era's consumer , blending seamlessly with the 35mm for an authentic, fragmented aesthetic. Gregory Oke emphasized natural lighting in scenes between Sophie and Calum to evoke hazy, subjective recollections, while more stylized setups were used for Calum's solitary moments; high temperatures up to 45°C (113°F) necessitated cooling the camera with packs during shoots. Film processing and scanning occurred at Cinelab in , , due to travel restrictions limiting options in the UK or . Production faced several challenges amid the ongoing , including scouting through near-empty "ghost towns" in winter and adhering to strict health protocols on location. Working with debut child actor was particularly demanding, as Turkish regulations limited her on-set time to four hours per day, with mandatory breaks for education and rest, requiring meticulous scheduling to capture essential scenes efficiently. Wells fostered a supportive environment through two weeks of rehearsals in , allowing Corio and to build rapport organically. Wells directed with an intimate, low-key approach, employing a small to maintain a relaxed, family-like atmosphere that encouraged natural performances. Many scenes were improvised based on dynamics, with actors drawing from personal experiences to infuse dialogue and interactions with spontaneity, while detailed shot lists ensured coverage of the film's subtle emotional beats. This method prioritized capturing fleeting, memory-like moments over rigid scripting, aligning with the film's exploration of imperfect recollection.

Music

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of Aftersun incorporates a collection of licensed primarily from the , curated to capture the film's late-1990s Turkish resort setting and to deepen its exploration of memory, familial bonds, and unspoken emotional strain. Director emphasized selecting tracks that felt authentic to the era's British pop and rock landscape, while also aligning with the narrative's introspective tone; for instance, the songs' often subtly echo themes of isolation and pressure without overpowering the visuals. Music supervisor Bright navigated substantial licensing hurdles to obtain for these pre-existing recordings, a process Wells described as particularly arduous due to the specificity of the scenes they accompanied, ultimately ensuring their seamless integration. Prominent among these is R.E.M.'s "," featured in a tense sequence where 11-year-old () performs solo on stage, her off-key rendition highlighting Calum's () withdrawal and emotional detachment as he watches from afar without joining her. The song's themes of longing and frustration amplify Calum's hidden turmoil, marking a pivotal moment of relational fracture. Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" anchors the film's emotional climax during a late-night , where Calum finally connects with in a fleeting, joyful sway—their silhouettes merging under strobe lights as the song's urgent plea for underscores the weight of unexpressed paternal struggles and the fragility of shared happiness. Wells noted that this track was added in to heighten the scene's cathartic release, its pressure motif resonating with Calum's suppressed anxiety. Additional songs enhance the period immersion and subtle character dynamics, such as ' "Lucky You" during a playful poolside game between Sophie, Calum, and other teens, evoking carefree vacation vibes; Catatonia's "" over motorbike antics and ocean vistas, injecting a of youthful recklessness; and Blur's "Tender" in a laced with Calum's flashbacks, its soothing melancholy bridging present and past. These tracks, available individually via digital streaming platforms, contribute to the film's textured without a dedicated .

Score

The original score for Aftersun was composed by British cellist and electronic musician Oliver Coates, known for his contributions to Radiohead's 2016 album . Coates blended acoustic —often improvised and processed through contact microphones to create saw-like waves—with warm synths and intricate , producing an ambient texture that underscores the film's intimate emotional landscape. The score emphasizes subtle tension and melancholy through minimal string arrangements, tranquil synth pads, and hallucinatory found sounds, evoking wistfulness and unspoken yearning without dominating the narrative. Key cues include the underwater sequences, which integrate oceanic field recordings to heighten sensory immersion, and the finale's "One Without," featuring a repeating, reverb-drenched string figure that builds ambient dissonance to convey themes of loss and constancy. Coates collaborated closely with director , drawing from her initial musical ideas during early discussions that directly inspired pieces incorporated into the film; he incorporated field recordings captured on location in , such as ocean waves, airplane landings, and ambient cries, to weave environmental authenticity into the compositions. This process allowed the score to complement Wells' footage, enhancing visual motifs of memory and fluidity. The score was released as part of the Aftersun Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on January 13, 2023, via Invada and Lakeshore Records, alongside the film's curated songs. Critics praised its ability to evoke profound, unspoken emotions through light, suggestive touches that prioritize emotional texture over overt drama.

Themes and analysis

Themes

Aftersun explores the theme of and subjectivity through its use of footage, which presents a fragmented and unreliable recollection of childhood events from the perspective of the adult looking back on her time with her father, Calum. Director has described this as Sophie attempting to piece together her father's experiences with the benefit of hindsight, questioning what signs of his inner turmoil she might have missed as a . This approach underscores the subjective nature of , where personal anecdotes form a skeletal outline but the narrative remains fictionalized rather than a direct recounting. The delves into , particularly Calum's hidden depression and fears of aging, paternal inadequacy, and , which he conceals to shield his daughter from his struggles. Wells draws from her own emotional experiences, noting that Calum succeeds in protecting while portraying his internal battles with nuance, including a sense of a world beyond his reach. This depiction highlights the generational transmission of unspoken pain, as Calum's issues subtly influence their interactions despite his efforts to maintain a facade of normalcy. Central to the narrative is the father-daughter bond, depicted through joyful, playful moments that contrast with the underlying emotional tension, emphasizing themes of unspoken love and the roles adults perform for children. Wells bases the characters on herself and her father, portraying Calum as an exceptionally devoted parent whose presence is intensely felt when he is there, yet marked by the weight of unexpressed vulnerabilities. This relationship illustrates how love persists amid hidden suffering, with later reflecting on missed opportunities to connect more deeply. The motif of loss and absence culminates in the film's ambiguous ending, which implies Calum's and reflects Wells' personal following her father's death during her teenage years. By keeping Calum somewhat unknowable and emotionally distant at times, the story evokes the haunting instability of bereavement, where joy and sorrow intertwine inseparably. This unresolved quality mirrors the director's intent to capture the feeling of chasing someone lost, blending with without providing closure.

Style and influences

Aftersun employs a distinctive visual style that blends 35mm film stock with MiniDV footage to evoke the texture of memory. The 35mm cinematography, captured using KODAK VISION3 200T and 500T stocks on an ARRICAM LT camera with Cooke S4 lenses, provides a warm, luminous quality that softens skin tones and renders colors with a nostalgic depth, particularly in naturalistic daylight scenes. In contrast, the MiniDV elements introduce a grainy, immediate intimacy reminiscent of late-1990s home videos, often operated by the actors themselves to capture spontaneous moments, such as unscripted pool jumps. This hybrid approach, framed in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio for emotional closeness, shifts between objective family interactions and abstracted, dreamlike angles—such as reflections and close-ups from Sophie's perspective—to blur the boundaries between reality and recollection. Director draws on a range of influences to shape the film's aesthetic, including the poetic realism of and the minimalist sound and framing techniques of . Wells has cited Akerman's 1972 short La Chambre as inspiration for the film's closing 360-degree pan, which circles a room in a hypnotic, introspective manner to convey inner turmoil. Personal home videos from her childhood further inform the DV sequences, echoing the fragmented, subjective quality of family archives, while filmmakers like and influence the textured, timeless imagery that prioritizes emotional resonance over plot-driven clarity. The narrative structure is non-linear, framed through adult Sophie's hazy reminiscences of the holiday, incorporating hallucinatory elements like strobing club lights in the finale to symbolize psychological fragmentation. This layered storytelling mimics the fluid, elliptical flow of , with slow pacing that allows quiet moments—such as extended gazes or ambient silences—to build subtle tension. Wells' debut innovations include improv-heavy fostered through two weeks of rehearsals, enabling natural chemistry between leads and , and a that amplifies intimacy through layered elements like heavy breathing and the diegetic pulse of Queen's "Under ." These choices collectively dissolve the line between documented reality and imagined past, creating a that feels both archival and deeply personal.

Release

Premiere

Aftersun had its world in the section of the on May 21, 2022, where it won the French Touch Prize of the Jury. The screening received a two-minute , creating significant early buzz that prompted distribution deals, including acquiring North American rights in a mid-seven-figure transaction shortly after the . Director and lead actors and attended the event, with the positive reception underscoring Mescal's growing acclaim following his breakout roles. Following its debut, the film had subsequent screenings at major festivals, including a surprise presentation at the in early September 2022, the later that month, the in October 2022, and the . The initial acclaim from the fueled ongoing interest, contributing to the film's broader recognition.

Distribution and box office

_A24 acquired the North American distribution rights to Aftersun and released the film theatrically in the United States on October 21, 2022, initially in a limited release across four screens before expanding to wider release in November 2022. In the United Kingdom, Mubi handled distribution, with a theatrical release on November 18, 2022. Internationally, the film rolled out through various distributors, including Mubi in select markets; it premiered commercially in on February 1, 2023, and in in 2023. Following its theatrical run, Aftersun became available for streaming on Mubi in regions such as the , , and , while in the United States, it streamed on Paramount+ with the Showtime add-on starting in July 2023. The film grossed $1.7 million in the and , with international earnings reaching $8.1 million across more than 50 markets, for a worldwide total of approximately $9.8 million. Produced on a modest estimated at $1-2 million, Aftersun demonstrated strong performance for an independent , achieving a per-screen average of over $15,000 during its opening weekend in the on just four theaters. Marketing efforts focused on the film's emotional depth and intimate father-daughter relationship, with official trailers from and Mubi highlighting 's performance and the nostalgic late-1990s setting, including period-specific elements like Super 8 footage and 90s to evoke personal memories.

Reception

Critical response

Aftersun received widespread critical acclaim for its emotional depth and subtle exploration of memory and family bonds. On , it holds a 96% approval rating from 245 reviews, with an average score of 8.8/10; the site's critics consensus praises it as a film that "deftly captures the bittersweet reality of imperfect family bonds, buoyed by and Frankie Corio's outstanding performances." assigns a weighted average of 95/100 based on 46 critic reviews, signifying "universal acclaim," with the consensus highlighting its "gradual poignancy" akin to a developing Polaroid image. Critics lauded ' directorial debut for its masterful handling of intimate, understated storytelling that conveys profound emotional resonance without overt drama. of described the film as an "astonishing and devastating" work that blends past and present with the "precision of a lyric ," unlocking the of through intuitive compositions. in gave it five out of five stars, commending its "effortlessly relaxed" approach as a "subtle and complex investigation of post-divorce parenthood" that builds to heartbreaking revelations through accumulated details. Paul Mescal's performance as the troubled father was frequently highlighted for its nuanced portrayal of hidden vulnerability beneath charismatic exteriors, while Frankie Corio's naturalistic debut as his daughter was celebrated for its authentic curiosity and emotional range. Additionally, Gregory Oke's earned praise for its visually fluid evocation of radiant melancholia, using amateur-like footage to enhance the film's nostalgic authenticity. Though overwhelmingly positive, some critics noted that the film's deliberate slow pace and emotional ambiguity could feel alienating to audiences seeking more explicit narrative drive. Reviews often compared it to and Call Me by Your Name for its intimate, introspective depiction of personal and familial tensions amid summery settings.

Audience response and cultural impact

Aftersun has garnered strong approval from general audiences, earning an 81% audience score on based on over 1,000 verified ratings, where viewers frequently highlight its poignant depiction of father-daughter bonds and the subtle portrayal of unspoken emotional struggles. On , the film holds a 7.6/10 rating from more than 121,000 users, with many praising its authenticity in capturing the complexities of dynamics and personal during a shared . These responses underscore the film's ability to evoke empathy through its intimate, memory-driven narrative, resonating with those reflecting on their own familial relationships. The film's ambiguous conclusion has sparked extensive online discourse among viewers, particularly regarding interpretations of the father's and the implications of potential , as explored in analyses that emphasize the story's emotional and its invitation to personal projection. Discussions on platforms like , where it averages 4.2 out of 5 stars from over 1.3 million ratings, often center on the ending's interpretive layers, blending with . Viral video essays on have further amplified its themes, with creators dissecting the father's concealed depression and its impact on intergenerational understanding, contributing to broader conversations about emotional inheritance. Released amid rising global awareness following 2022, Aftersun has resonated deeply with audiences grappling with themes of depression and familial disconnection, as noted in scholarly examinations of its portrayal of mental illness in cinema and its role in fostering for hidden suffering. The film's cultural footprint expanded in subsequent years, appearing in prominent rankings such as third place on IndieWire's list of the best films of the 2020s so far in 2025 and 78th on The New York Times' 100 Best Movies of the , with readers placing it at 35th in their poll, affirming its status as essential viewing for its innovative exploration of memory and loss. In 2024, highlighted it among streaming gems for its enduring emotional depth. In 2025 reflections, director has described the film's ongoing impact as therapeutic for audiences, noting how its nostalgic lens serves as a tool for processing and familial bonds, with viewers often sharing stories of personal akin to emotional . This reception has solidified Aftersun's role in contemporary discussions on representation, encouraging viewers to confront the ambiguities of parental vulnerability.

Accolades

Aftersun premiered at the in the sidebar, where it won the French Touch Prize of the Jury. The film was also nominated for the , recognizing outstanding first feature films. At the , Aftersun competed in the Platform program and was recognized by critics, later winning Best Film, Best Director for , Best Actor for , and Best First Feature from the . The film earned four nominations at the 32nd , including Best Feature and Breakthrough Director for Wells, with Wells winning the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award. At the (BIFA), Aftersun led with 16 nominations and secured seven wins, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Wells, and the Award (Best Debut Director). It also won three craft awards earlier in the ceremony: Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music Supervision. Aftersun received nominations at the for Best First Feature, Best Lead Performance for Mescal, and Best Editing, ultimately winning Best First Feature. At the (BAFTA) in 2023, the film was nominated for Outstanding British Film, Best Actor for Mescal, and Best Casting, with Wells winning the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer award. Paul Mescal received a for in a Leading Role at the for his performance in Aftersun, marking the film's sole Oscar nod despite recognition of Wells' directorial debut. Overall, Aftersun has garnered 96 wins and 181 nominations across various international awards ceremonies, highlighting its critical and industry acclaim as a debut feature.

References

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