‘Heartbreaking’ coming-of-age film with 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating is free to stream
Paul Mescal stars in Charlotte Wells’ acclaimed debut, a quiet and deeply moving story about a father and daughter
Some films leave an impression through huge dramatic moments. Aftersun does almost the opposite. Charlotte Wells’ quietly devastating coming-of-age drama finds its emotional power in ordinary memories, fleeting conversations and the complicated bond between a child and her father.
Starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio, the 2022 film has earned widespread critical and audience acclaim and currently carries a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating according to the rating cited in the original article.
The film is also currently available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer, making it an easy choice for viewers looking for an emotional film to watch at home. Netflix subscribers can also stream it, according to the original article.
A holiday that means something very different years later
Written and directed by Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells, Aftersun was her feature directorial debut.
The story centres on 11-year-old Sophie, played by Frankie Corio, who goes on holiday with her father Calum, played by Paul Mescal. Set against a holiday resort in the late 1990s, the pair spend time together enjoying the kind of seemingly ordinary moments that can become precious in hindsight.
For Sophie, the trip is part of a period of change. She is beginning to experience adolescence and develop a greater understanding of the world around her.
Calum, meanwhile, is dealing privately with difficulties that Sophie cannot fully recognise at the time. The film gradually allows viewers to see the distance between the father Sophie knows during the holiday and the person he is struggling to understand himself.
Twenty years later, Sophie revisits those memories.
Camcorder footage from the trip becomes part of her attempt to piece together what happened and to reconcile the loving father she remembers with the troubled man she was too young to fully understand.
The result is a film about memory, childhood and the way our understanding of our parents can change as we grow older.
Viewers have called it a masterpiece
The film’s emotional impact has been reflected in the response from audiences, with viewers describing Aftersun as devastating, beautiful and unforgettable.
One five-star reviewer called it one of the most emotionally devastating films they had seen, praising the way the story creates a growing sense of sadness and anxiety without depending on conventional dramatic scenes.
Another viewer described it as an “absolutely beautiful movie”, saying the film reminded them that everyone, including parents, can be struggling and may need reassurance that they are loved. They also called it their favourite film of the 2020s so far.
A third viewer simply labelled Aftersun a “masterpiece”, while another said it was the kind of film that left them sitting and reconsidering their own interactions with their parents.
That reaction reflects the film’s understated approach. Much of its emotional weight comes from small exchanges between Sophie and Calum rather than major confrontations or obvious dramatic twists.
A major festival success
Although Aftersun is intimate in scale, its reception was anything but modest.
The film won the French Touch Jury Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2022 and later received the Grand Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival. The official Deauville records confirm that Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun won the festival’s Grand Prize, as well as the Critics’ Award.
Its success also helped establish Wells as a filmmaker to watch, while Paul Mescal’s performance as Calum became one of the film’s most widely praised elements.
The film’s official synopsis captures its central idea: Sophie looks back on the happiness and private sadness of a holiday she shared with her father two decades earlier, using memories and camcorder footage to understand the man she knew as a child.
Where to watch Aftersun
For viewers who missed the film when it was released in 2022, Aftersun is currently available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer, according to the original article. It is also available to Netflix subscribers.
The film runs for 102 minutes, making it relatively easy to fit into an evening, although its emotional impact may linger considerably longer.
For anyone drawn to character-driven dramas about family, memory and growing up, Aftersun offers a deliberately quiet experience that rewards close attention.
Watch the official trailer
The official trailer was released by MUBI, which distributed the film, and features Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio in Wells’ acclaimed debut.