In Aftersun, a coming-of-age drama directed by Charlotte Wells, 30-year-old Callum Peterson and his 11-year-old daughter Sophie spend precious moments together on a vacation trip to Turkey. While Sophie begins to come into her own, Callum struggles to maintain the facade of being strong for his daughter and slowly succumbs to his depression. As Sophie looks back on these valuable memories as an adult, she uncovers new truths about how each of them truly felt on the inside. Aftersun is a moving drama that contains strong character development, powerful themes, and unique cinematography. First, the film shines in its portrayal of Callum and Sophie’s character development. It is clear throughout the film that both Callum and Sophie have an extremely loving bond with one another, but their differing perspectives on life seem to create some …show more content…
The movie uses multiple different cameras to achieve this nostalgic feel. First, the movie incorporates a digital handheld camera that Sophie uses to record certain parts of the trip. Additionally, the movie uses Cooke S4 lenses to add a warm, grainy texture to the rest of the scenes in the movie. Both immerse the audience into the idea that Sophie is looking back at fond yet distant memories of her summer vacation. The visuals also strengthen the underlying tension that is building during the movie. Many of the scenes include a visual distance between Sophie and Callum to represent the emotional distance they have from each other throughout the film. Some of the scenes are also taken at interesting angles that make the viewer feel like they are watching in on Callum and Sophie’s interactions. While some may argue that the movie’s cinematography feels rather simple and does not appear as professional, I would say that the lack of clean, professional shots contributes to the dream-like feel of a young girl looking back on her childhood