Art is one of the most marvellous things in the world, through which we can express ourselves, experience various feelings, sensations and, why not, even discover ourselves? The seventh art, music and literature are the ones I can most identify with and connect to, either because they are the most accessible to me, or because they contain the context in which I feel most comfortable speaking, writing and using as a tool for social interaction.
This brief report is to say that Aftersun, Charlotte Wels' directorial and screenwriting debut, came to me like an arrow, a film about memories that seeks to investigate, even if belatedly, memories of a past that is no longer present, and to imagine if there was a future. There was such a connection with this project, which is inspired by the author's own story, that it made me imagine how a person on the other side of the ocean can unlock feelings that seemed to have been erased, or that were lost in a part of my existence. That's the magic of cinema and the connections that are formed, sharing with the world something that was painful or special is difficult and requires enormous sensitivity on the part of the creator, regardless of the type of art that will be explored - making people feel what you feel, making people reflect is one of the most vivid things that we as human beings can experience.
I know that each person who watches a film, listens to a song or reads a book connects in different ways with the story being told, because we carry with us our histories, our thoughts and our personalities, so each person reacts differently, but here in this feature, the director and her team had a brilliant insight, transforming what would be just a film about the holidays into something more captivating, but intrinsic, and why not dark. The story is simple, but the way it was made is fabulous, the editing is well used in favour of the narrative in the moments of connecting the present and the past, and the photography in the use of sometimes suffocating frames, sometimes just peeking, all from the perspective of a 12-year-old child, and an adult through home filming, is truly brilliant.
But what really stands out here, without a doubt, is the two main actors, Frankie Corio as Sophie as a child and Paul Mescal as her father. Her work is undoubtedly fantastic, with an absurd charisma and full of sweetness, we follow this story through her, which takes place in a hotel where her father takes her for the holidays, before she goes back to school. While we follow her among some young people, being able to observe the behaviour of those who are one stage above her, we can follow her relationship with her father, since she lives with her mother and doesn't have that much contact with him, but she notices all the attention he pays to her, but sometimes he asks questions that she can't identify at first glance. This is left to Sophie from the future, who, when looking at the tapes, realises some nuances in her father's reactions, and the way he viewed the whole scenario.
But here comes Calum (Paul Mescal), who gives a performance worthy of entering the hall of fame and earning him his first Oscar nomination, playing a father who loves his daughter and wants to enjoy every moment with her, but who hides several secrets from his daughter, which is reinforced by the framing always in the shadows, He finds it extremely difficult to express himself, which is clear from his countenance, and that he is going through serious problems, but at no time does he let this interfere with his programme with his daughter, and his role as a father, to make that child happy and feel like the most special person possible.
Aftersun really struck me, not because I share a similar story of tragedy or anything like that - I had a great childhood, two welcoming families, and plenty of opportunities to create wonderful memories - but because the author here makes us reflect, look for some truths behind the events in these memories, I realised how grateful I am for the people who have been and are part of my life, and for allowing me to create the essential and crucial moments that make me who I am, and above all not to lose my essence, just as they did and do - never give up saying that you love someone you love every day, or making them feel like the most special person in the world while you're together.
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