The movie Aftersun follows a father and daughter during their vacation get away to a Turkish resort. It shows the deep connection between Sophie, the daughter, and Calum, the dad throughout the past struggles of their life. Calum and Sophie mom are divorced which leads Calum to move away and not see Sophie as much as he would like to. Along with that, in one of the first scenes in the movie you can see Calum going outside to smoke a cigarette. Sophie has expressed her hatred for people who smoke, so Calum chooses to do it without her knowing. It is highlighted in the movie when Calum sneaks off to smoke a cigarette or

drinks alcohol. This all stems from Calum wanting to show Sophie the better side of him. He doesn’t want to corrupt her young mind with the drugs and alcohol he sometimes chooses over her. Throughout the movie we also see Calum having suicidal tendencies. He goes snorkeling without the proper equipment, he stands on balconies unafraid of the fact that he might fall, buys an 800$ rug when he doesn’t have the funds, and needing drugs and alcohol to forgot his real world problems. Along with Calum, Sophie has some problems of her own. Calum often motivated her to go talk to kids her own age, but Sophie is seemingly very mature. It is assumed that Sophie is mature for her age because of her parents divorce being so difficult on her. She begins hanging out with older teenagers but still finds it awkward do be around them. Although she is 11, she is very aware of drug, sex, and alcohol throughout the whole movie. This movie is loosely based on the directors life when her and her dad went on a resort vacation.

In this scene Sophie expresses that she is glad her and her dad share the same sky. She uses it as a kind of comfort mechanism whenever she is missing her dad. She will look up into the sky and know that her dad is under the same sky as she is. As she expresses this, we are left to assume that Sophie misses her dad when they are not spending time together. She mainly lives with her mom so she doesn’t see her dad quiet often.

In this scene Calum share show he no longer feels welcomed in his hometown. He thinks this because he believes he has changed too much as a person to be visit. This shows viewers that Calum recognizes his suicidal thoughts and knows that they have changed him for the worst. he uses this as a kind of excuse as to why he doesn’t visit Sophie that often. He feels horrible for having these depressing thoughts and doesn’t want it to rub off on her. He tries to keep his old reputation of being the fun, care free, and happy dad that he once was, when in reality he is struggling with serious mental issues.

This scene is one that really stuck out to me when realizing that Calum is suicidal. Being surprised he made it to thirty makes viewers think that he wasn’t planning on it sticking around on earth for as long as he has. It is sad to see that the bond him and his daughter have is not enough to make him want to harm and kill himself. Not being able to picture yourself at a future age is a classic sign of having suicidal thoughts. Itsa one of the scenes that the director seeded into the film to make viewers realize Calums suicidal.

This scene is very important because it shows that Sophie might be having the same depressing thoughts as Calum. Although Sophie has no real reason to be sad, she cant help but feel sad after such an eventful day. As viewers we know what Sophie is going through because we see it in Calum, but Sophie can’t quiet put a finger on the specific emotion that she is feeling. Sophie expressing this leaves Calum angry at himself because he knows that his depression could’ve been passed down to her. Depression is 50% genetic so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Sophie to end up like Calum.

#1: This scene is another important scene when considering Calums suicidal tendencies. He goes to this fancy rug store and it immediately drawn to this one specific rug. The rug costs 800$ and it was hinted throughout the whole film that Calum is struggling money wise. It was a big deal to be able to afford the resort they are staying at and its very highlighted within the movie when Calum doesn’t have enough money. Buying this rug is Calums last hope of seeing if anyone realizes how bad he is struggling. He wants help, but doesn’t want to ask for it.

#2: These scenes are seeding within the film at various different times. Many people view these scene differently, but I see it as being inside Calums brain. Its a dark room with flashing lights. Calum dancing as he seemingly doesn’t have a care in the world. I think the director added this is in order for viewers to realize that Calum is struggling. Without these scenes, it wouldn’t have been as known as it is.

#3: At the end of the film, Calum and Sophie say goodbye as she heads back home to her moms house. Calum films her as she walk away and as viewers we see Sophie wave goodbye before entering the airplane. After that scene, it cuts to Claum standing in an empty hallway still holding the camcorder. He turns it off and heads to the door behind him. As he swings open the door, we see the flashing lights of the club and people dancing within it. Calum entering these doors is a metaphor for him allowing his suicidal tendencies to take control of him. Some people hypothesize that this is Calum ending his life, and I believe that that is true. If the club scenes we saw throughout the film symbolizes Calums dark and depressed brain, then him walking into it would signify him killing himself.

#4: One of the final scenes we see Calum and Sophie together is thankfully a happy one. They run onto the dance floor and Calum encourages Sophie to join him. After she does, they dance together, happy for one final moment. This truly shows the bond between the two and shows how hard Calum his fighting his mental battles. Calum does his best the wqhole movie to keep his struggles a secret in order to keep his daughter happy and worry free.

#1: This story is loosely based on Charlotte Wells, the director of Aftersun’s, life. Just like int he movie, her and her father went to a vacation resort and she noticed how he was struggling mentally. She describes the movie as an “emotionally autobiographical” because many of the details within the film have profound connection to her life. It is also noted that the same camera Sophie plays with during the film is the same kind of camera Charlotte Wells’s dad once gave her.

#2: An important factor in every single film is its soundtrack. Although this film was mostly filled with instrumental music, in the final scene,  “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie is played. It is played during one of the most crucial parts of the movie and its lyrics depicts how Calum’s life has gone about.

#3: Suicidal tendencies is an obvious theme within this movie and i think that its important to be able to recognize these within your friends or family. Some main ones to look out for is doing risky or dangerous things, having no care for their own well-being, buying things with money they don’t have, and doing something out of character to catch someones attention. It is super important to realize that someone has these tendencies, act immediately before its too late.

#4: As someone who loves confusing movies, it is extremely important to figure out the metaphors within the movie. A lot of directors use simple metaphors for complicated feelings or scenes. For example, at the end of the movie when Calum walks through the doors into the club, this is a metaphor for him talking his own life. he is walking into the darkness of his own mind and allowing his suicidal tendencies to take control of him. At the end I was confused because I didn’t quiet realize the metaphor, but after rewatching the end and thinking about it, it all made sense.

9/10, overall such a good film and would definitely recommend to anyone who loves sad and thought provoking movies.

This has got to be one of my favorite movies I have ever watched. This movie left me in an imense brain fog for the following week, and even after two weeks or so of watching it, I still think about it constantly.