AFTERSUN is an art film. It's basically a 2-character film that depicts the relationship between a young father and his 11-year-old daughter. The man and his wife are divorced. In the summers he takes his daughter on vacation (or vacations-I wasn't sure whether it was one trip, or memories of several). He teaches her to play pool and water polo. She's also reading LOLITA. (It doesn't say that the child is a genius, but I just don't think there is any way an 11-year-old could understand LOLITA. There are a lot of literary references in it that an 11-year-old hasn't lived long enough to read.) Nothing much really happens in the movie, other than that the father and daughter get to know each other a little better. The actors (Paul Mescal as the father and Frankie Corio as the daughter) are both wonderful and give very moving performances, but there's no real story. Parts of it are mock cinema verité photographed mostly by a shaky hand-held camera. There are also a lot of rapid cuts that made me slightly nauseous. People prone to seizures should either not see this movie, or close their eyes for extended periods of time. The actors have Scottish accents that at times made me wish there were subtitles. This is a sensitive and fragile film that requires patience. There are scenes in this slowly paced movie that are undeniably moving, but that was not enough for me. I need a real plot.
