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An unsung gem is finally hitting the world’s biggest streaming service. The quietly gorgeousAftersun, one of 2022’s best and one of the greatest of the decade thus far, is streaming on Netflix, giving the film maybe its widest audience to date.First time directorCharlotte Wells, with this masterwork, crafted one of the most confident feature debuts in years, exploring a vacation between a father and his young daughter, the last time they ever see each other.
Aftersunis simply a beautiful work, unfolding like a memory piece with a dreamlike feeling and exploring how reconciling with our past means accepting that our parents are just as imperfect as us. Yet ever since the film’s release,the ending has been hotly debated, especially considering how the story never details what happens to the young Sophie’s father, Calum. Today, we’re taking a deep dive intoAftersun’s devastating conclusion, dissecting the clues Wells gives us along the way, and explaining what we believe happened to Calum.
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Aftersunis told from the perspective of Sophie, who is now 30 (the same age her father was when she last saw him). Sometimes, we get quick cutaways to a nightclub, where Sophie tries to find Callum while partially blinded by flashing strobe lights, though it’s clear these moments are more symbolic than literal (we’ll come back to that later). But the bulk of the film centers around an extended flashback, in which an 11-year-old Sophie joins her father Calum (Paul Mescal, in a revelatoryOscar-nominated performance) on an extended holiday at a Turkish resort, where they quietly celebrate his 31st birthday.
From the first scene,it’s clear that Calum is in a rough spot. He had a child when he was only 20, recently divorced Sophie’s mother, and relocated to London. When he first meets up with Sophie, his arm is in a cast for reasons that are never detailed. He puts on a happy face in front of his daughter, but almost immediately after they check into the hotel, he sneaks outside for a cigarette. During the day, he spends time reading books about Tai Chi and practicing meditation, going out of his way to hide all of this from Sophie.
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About halfway through, we get some brief backstory that sheds light on his emotional state. During a conversation with Sophie, in which she asks what he wants for his birthday, he despondently reflects on how his parents regularly forgot his birthday, and how, when he once reminded his mother, she “grabbed him by the ear”. Having dealt with such neglectful parents, it’s evident that Calum wants to give his daughter the happiest upbringing possible under the circumstances. But it’s clear that he’s unable to provide that to her completely, as he’s struggling financially (which Sophie recognizes), and he’s sadly all too aware of his inadequacies.
And his depressiononly worsens over the course of the film. He backs out of a planned karaoke duet with Sophie at the last minute. He accidentally locks her out of their room for part of the night, and at one point, he walks to the beach late at night and walks into the waves. When Sophie surprises him on his birthday the next day, he puts on a brave face before quietly sobbing in the room. The last time we see him, Sophie waves goodbye to him at the airport, and he silently walks down a hallway corridor before disappearing.
Does Calum Die After the End of Aftersun?
Considering how the framing device shows adult Sophie as visibly distraught at the mention of her father and how her narration details that she never saw him again, it’s evident thatsomething bad happens to him after the final scene. And especially since his emotional state quickly deteriorates over the course of the runtime, the most obvious conclusion to make is that shortly after Calum leaves Sophie at the airport,he commits suicide. Not only does this shed even further light on the character’s visible depression, but it adds even more gravity to the way the narrative unfolds.
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Aftersunis no longer just a film about an adult looking back on her lost innocence; it’s about a childrevisiting and replaying her memoriesover and over, looking for any hint that her father was at the end of his rope. Not only is Calum’s trip with Sophie the last time she ever saw him, but the vacation itself now looks like his effort to spend time with his daughter one final time (and to give her a happy memory of him) before he ends his life for good. And while 11-year-old Sophie could see that something was clearly off with her father, how could she have known the depths of his depression?
The film’s climax shows Sophie dancing with her father to Queen’s “Under Pressure” on their last night at the resort. As the song reaches its final chorus,Aftersunfinally returns to the nightclub, and the young Sophie is intercut with glimpses of her adult selfdesperately searching for her fatherin the blinding lights. The rave’s symbolism now becomes clear – even as an adult, she’s still searching desperately for one final glance at her father and an understanding of how deep his despair really was. But it remains tragically out of reach, and try as she might, she knows that she wouldn’t have been able to help her father even if she did understand.
Calum Goes Into the Void
The final shot shows Calum walking down the airport corridor and entering a room full of strobing lights, which only hammers home this symbolism. Calum now only exists as a memory in Sophie’s mind, one she desperately keeps trying to return to so she can find closure, but she knows in her heart that this is impossible. It’s a devastating ending, solidifyingAftersunas one of the most poignant films to come around in the 2020s and an absoluteNetflix must-watchfor anyone who missed out on its theatrical run. And if you have already seen it in theaters, it’s time to watch it again.Aftersunis available to stream onNetflix.
