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AFTERSUN: THE BEAUTY OF IMPLICITY Angina April 4th 2024 WHY AFTERSUN IS A MASTERPIECE: I WATCHED THIS MOVIE LITERALLY 3 TIMES, I WAS GOING TO WATCH IT ONCE AGAIN, TO WRITE THIS, BUT I THINK IT MAY NOT BE NECESSARYSo, to begin with: ¿What is Aftersun about? To be honest, the plot is pretty simple, when i watched it, i could'nt stop talking about it, so, i made a reaaaallly short resume to my friends in just a few words "A father- daughter vacations on Turquey". That does'nt sound interesting, does it? well, it is becouse Aftersun's proposite is not being interesting, or having scene actions, to have you in the border of your sit. Aftersun is a movie that actually gives a lot to the viewer's interpretation. It is heartbreaking if you empathize with the characters, but can be even boring if you expect something "exciting" to happen.What happens in Aftersun? ABSOLUTLY NOTHING. Well, that question can be actually also due to interpretation. Is there action? no. Is there drama? no. Is there comedy? no. But, at the same time, things happens, in front of one of the characters, and in front of us as viewers, so, things DO happen, but, they're very implicit.PLOTAftersun tells us the story of a father (Callum Aaron Paterson) and his daughter (Sophie), we follow them in their vacations to Turquey, but as the story goes, we could notice some signals that something may be happening with Callum, relationed to his mental health. Sophie, at her young age, is obviously clueless and careless abt what's on her father's mind. But, as a grown adult and a mother now, she looks back at her memories and understands and forgives his father for leaving her, due to his suicide. Callum is a 30 (then 31 y/o) man, quiet, introvert, but at the same time, acts like a kid around her daughter, in order to make her feel like she can count on him, and doing what he cans to make him happy. He practices Tai- chi and we actually never have clue abt what he job is, but in my personal interpretation, i think he is unemployed, or at least almost broke, since Sophie mentions something like that on a scene. On the film, he gives signals of being depressed, and i think Aftersun also potrays actually really well someone with depression or intentions of not continuing with their life. I mean, the signals are PRETTY IMPLICIT, and barely noticeable, he never says literally "i have depression" or "i hope i don't wake up tomorrow" nope. We follow him in his try to have unforgettable vacations with her daughter, and his tries to not show her daughter what he's going trough. Sophie, is Callum's daughter, she's 11, and is very extroverted, differenced from Callum, she has a lot of energy, funny little girl, and posseses the innocence a child her age can have. I think she is aware of some of his father's situations like his economic condition, buttttt, i don't think she knows everything about him.Im going to make a list of some of my favorite scenes that proves this movie is a masterpieceHONORIFIC MENTION: -. There is a detail that i actually find quiet interesting and i think it has a meaning. The fact that there are like 3 scenes just showing Callum breathing. In the beggining, in like, the half, and in other scene, all that is shown to us, is Callum breathing, i think 3 scenes are just Callum breathing, and i think it may potray like, how Callum just exists, without living or having genuine excitement abt stuff1-. When they arrive to the hotel, and Sophie falls asleep while Callum goes outside and smokes, hiding this from Sophie, not showing this "darkness" to her. 2-. CALLUM TELLING SOPHIE TO LEARN HOW TO DEFEND HERSELF. I THINK THIS WAS THE FIRST SIGN. Why would you like to teach your child to defend themselves when you're around? easy. Cuz you know you won't be around, you know you must teach them, cuz you won't be able to do it yourself. And, as a parent, i think you know your goal, is to protect your child. Im not saying you have to make them useless and do everything for them but like, self defense to a kid, and him telling her that that was important, plus the other signs we see later on the movie, Callum clearly was trying to give her the last help he could before leaving.3-."I like to think we share the same sky" That scene is just so cuteee! i think it shows us Sophie's relationship with Callum, and how she really loved hiim! and is thinking about him even when he's not with her, and her way to feel accompany, is looking at the sky and thinking Callum can see it too 4-.THIS SCENE ISSSS JUST... KEY!!! AND ACTUALLY SO RELATABLE! I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS SCENE, I THINK IT IS THE BEST IMPLICIT WAY TO SHOW HIS SUICIDE THOUGHTS AND HOW CARELESS HE IS ABT LOOSING HIS LIFE, I MEAN... OMG WAIT, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IM SAYING, I CAN'T DECIDE WICH SCENE POTRAYS CALLUM'S THOUGHTS BETTER! BUT LIKE, OKAY, THIS SCENE, THIS SCENEEEE!!!!!Callum crossing the street. "Angi, what the hell? is that one of your favorite scenes? a man crossing the street?" YES. STFU. Is not as simple as someone crossing the street, is that you can know what is going trough his mind while he does it, and you can even feel the gasp and be like "oh..." cuz the way he crosses the street, actually tells us how careless and tired he is. He does'nt look at any side, he does'nt bother in case he gets ran over. IT'S THE WAYYY HOW HE DOES'NT GIVE A SINGLE F***, GOD! i think a truck is like... there, driving, and he almost runs over Callum, and the truck's driver even honks at him... AND HE JUST KEEPS GOING ON HIS WAY! He does'nt even look at the driver, or get mad at him for almost killing him, bro is just calm and careless!I actually find this scene SO sad, and sadly, relatable, me, myself i have struggled with mental health, and, this scene just hits me, cuz i've been Callum, i've also crossed the street that way, no looking at both side, not even one, not caring if get hit by a car, i know how that feels, not caring, not bothering, people saying like "Hey! don't cross that way, be careful!" and just be able to think "nevermind." i just empathize so much with Callum on that scene. And i know that if i saw someone crossing the street like Callum did, i would feel sad for knowing what that means.5-, The lunch scene with people dancing Macarena, while Callum is just like, there, in his seat, no excitement or even interest on that. BUT! He tries to make Sophie have fun, his way, throwing something at stage.6-. I mean... i think this is the most explicit one. The one on the boat, with that other man that tells him a bit abt his life, how he's having a baby, and Callum tells him it's almost his birthday, and the man congratulates him, and he responds "Yeah, i did'nt even think i'd get to 30" oh man... that is... Callum literally knew his mental state was'nt good and did´nt think he would be alive for his 30's, sad! and if i remember well, he also even mentions abt not making it to 40, so. Yes, i think this is the most obvious and like, explicit time Callum expressed or showed suicidal thoughts, abt not being alive anymore. And also, the fact that he did diving without having a license and caring abt the fact that was a dangerous activity, shows us how careless he is abt danger, at that point, he's just so tired, nothing matters anymore :(7-. Okay, i think this scene has like, many details. The scene where Sophie is filming him and she asks him how his 11th birthday went, and i think she also talks abt the future, and Callum does'nt want to answer, and seems visibly unconfortable with past and future questions, cuz he knows he does'nt have a future, he said it himself, "he does'nt even know how he made it to 30's, AND I ACTUALLY ALSO RELATE TO THIS SCENE, IT IS JUST SO... TRUE?I mean, i also went unconfortable abt questions abt my future, when i was on a dark point of my life. And i relate on Callum's reaction, cuz he's not just unconfortable with Sophie's questions, but also angry and annoyed, and i also felt that way, the anger of people just... insisting on why you should worry abt your future, or how you see yourself in some years, when actually, you did'nt even know where you get to the point you're at, and even WORSE to even consider going further, as someone who also has felt that way, i think Callum may have felt annoyed cuz he knows by himself that it is not normal to not think abt your future, and he does'nt need a reminder that he "has" to keep going, cuz he does'nt want to. ALSO! The scene is like... focused in the TV, and we see and hear Callum's and Sophie's interactions by watching their reflections on TV, BUT! Next to the TV, there are 4 books, 3 about meditation and Tai- Chi, and i think that let us know that Callum was actually trying! he really was trying to get better, he meditated, he tried relaxing, but sadly, it was'nt possible :(8-. Callum in the bathroom taking his arm cast and struggling and suffering bc it was obviously hurtful, while Sophie's outside the bathroom, talking calmly with Callum abt the time she thought he and her mom were getting back together. This scene is actually very well done, cuz the screen gets divided by 2 and Callum is suffering in one side, and Sophie's on the other, chilling and talking. Showing us literally and simbolically how Sophie's ignorant abt his father's problems due to her age and the fact also, Callum does'nt want to show that side of him to her. 9-. THE KARAOKE SCENE?? DUUUH?? OKAY, I NEED TO ADMIT THIS, I LOOOVE, I LOOOOOOOOOVE WHEN NOTHING IS PUT IN A MOVIE OR LIKE, IN ANYTHING JUST BY COINCIDENCE. "Loosing my religion" a very good song choise "I thought that i heard you laughing, i thought that i heard you sing, i thought that i heard you try" IAAAAAAAAAAAAA"I thought that i heard you try" STOP, CALLUM WAS REALLY TRYING OMG THIS IS TOO MUCH, IM DONE. Also, i think this is the most obvious scene where we can see another situation where Callum "must" be happy and enjoying, but, he's not, and hie behavior is even erratic and mean to Sophie, and in this same scene, Callum offers Sophie to pay her some singing classes, since he saw her in the karaoke singing, and she responds "Don't do that, don't offer to pay for something when you don't jave money." and i think that was a hard hit for Callum, he must've felt so useless and unworthy! thinking "i can't even pay some singing classes for my daughter even if i wanted to" Sophie and Callum separate from each other due to this discussion, and Sophie arrives to the hotel's room later, and she finds Callum naked, and it is revealed to us that Callum went to the sea in the middle of the night without any protection or anything, showing us once again, how careless he was. 10-. DO I NEED TO MENTION WICH SCENE IT IS??? DO I EVEN NEED TO SAY IT??? THE DANCINC SCENE!!!!!! THE DANCING SCENE!!!!!!!! THE RAVE!!!!! OMG!!!THIS SCENE IS SO SIMBOLIC, AND I LOVE THE "SHOWING INSTEAD OF TELLING" CONCEPTSO. AS CALLUM SAYS "Last night, time for a dance." It's the last night there in Turquey, and as their last night, Callum invites Sophie to dance with him to "Under pressure" by Queen. but Sophie refuses, "I don't dance, i don't ever ever dance" AND... CALLUM SEEMS SO HAPPY HERE, LIKE, REALLY, HE'S JUST LIKE A LITTLE KID, HE DANCES CRINGELY, HE EMBARRASSES SOPHIE, BUT HE DOES'NT CARE. IT'S JUST HIM, THE MUSIC, AND SOPHIE AGAINST THE WORLD ON THAT MOMENT, AND OMG!THE RAVE SCENE APPEARED BEFORE, ALMOST AT THE BEGGINING OF THE MOVIE I THINK? AND THERE IS THIS LADY, THIS RANDOM LADY AND WE'RE LIKE "tf is that?" AND TURND OUT IT IS SOPHIE! SOPHIE AS AN ADULT So, the scene changes between Callum and Sophie in the hotel, and the rave, adult Sophie looking for Callum in the middle of the darkness and flashing lights. Even when it's very hard to see what's happening thanks to the flashing lights, we see Sophie trying to find Callum, Callum dances in a weird way, just moving his arms around like... avoiding Sophie, Sophie tries to get to him, but his movements make this hard. On the other way, Callum is trying to make Sophie dance still, then we're back to the rave, and Sophie calls Callum's attention and finally yells at him, we don't even know why, but, i think it is becouse of his death, Sophie sees his suice as abandonment, and how he still had to take care of her and to keep being here and he decided to leave, this world and her, he is mad at him for this abandonment cuz she finds it selfish, and yells at him.Young Sophie finally agrees and dances with Callum, and in the rave, we see Callum kind of calming Sophie down, and hugging her really tight, and we see then, Young Sophie also higging Callum. AND OMG, THE "CUZ LOVE'S SUCH AN OLD FASHIONED WORD" PART!!! Callum is in his best life dancing, but in the rave, Callum pushes Sophie away from this hug they were in earlier, and they stare to each other for a second, and then Callum keeps dancing and in the rave, Callum falls into nothing, while Sophie watches him fall but accepting finally, he can't reach him, he can't help him from falling, he just watches him fall. And we see Young Sophie for a second, smiling, on difference of actual Sophie, serious, showing us the contrast of Young Sophie being clueless abt everything, and mature Sophie, finally understanding and forgiving her father for leaving, cuz she knew he did'nt want to, he was just tired, and she could'nt help him, at the point he was, nothing could or would. THAT SCENE IS JUST! THEY TOLD US WHAT HAPPENED IN JUST 2 MINUTES!! AND WIHTOUT SAYING A WORD, WE KNEW ABT CALLUM'S SUICIDE, SOPHIE'S GUILTINESS AND ABANDONMENT FEELINGSAND THE FACT OMG! CALLUM'S CLOTHES, CALLUM IS WEARING THE SAME OUTFIT HE WORE LAST TIME HE SAW SOPHIE (leaving her at the airport) , AND THAT IS JUST SO HEARTBREAKING, CUZ THAT JUST CONFIRMS THAT HE'S DEAD ToT, HE'S WEARING THAT CUZ THAT'S WHAT HE WAS WEARING LAST TIME HE SAW SOPHIE, IT IS THE LAST MEMORY SOPHIE HAS FROM HIM, AND HE HAS THE SAME AGE HE HAD WHEN SOPHIE WAS 11 IN THE RAVE CUZ HE NEVER GOT OLD, HE DIED AT 31 ToT, HE HAS THE SAME AGE HE HAD WHEN HE DIED! STOP.