Holidays & Aftersun

On this episode of Bad Dads Film Review, the team reviews Aftersun (2022) — Charlotte Wells’ quietly devastating father-daughter memory piece starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio.In this episodeTop 5 Holidays: package holiday dread, cancelled flights, family trips, airport memories, and British holiday behaviour at its absolute finest/worstSidey’s Malta anxiety and the curse of relatives who “mog” every conversationWhat the dads watched this week, including Spider-Noir, Is This Thing On?, Heat, and other pre-main-feature detoursWhy Aftersun plays less like a traditional plot and more like an adult trying to decode childhood memoryAdult Sophie watching old camcorder footage of her holiday with Calum in TurkeyThe recurring rave/strobe imagery and Sophie trying to reach the father she only half-understoodCalum’s hidden depression: cigarettes, self-help books, Tai Chi, money worries, shame, and emotional withdrawalThe cheap holiday resort details: rep bus, room mix-up, wristbands, dinner run, pool tables, scuba mask, karaoke and tourist entertainmentThe expensive rug as a possible attempt to leave Sophie something tangibleThe brutal karaoke scene with Losing My ReligionThe final dance to Under Pressure and the airport departure endingHow the film handles male depression and implied suicide without spelling everything outPaul Mescal and Frankie Corio’s performances, and why the film rewards intense viewingBad Dads consensusReegs: Loved it — brilliantly made, emotionally precise, dreamlike, and rich in detailSidey: Strong recommend — hugely powerful, very well made, but absolutely not a fun watchDan: Strong recommend, with caveats — found it genuinely hard to sit with because it stirred up memories and difficult emotionsCris: Did not meaningfully watch it — put it on, went for a wee, fell asleep, and woke up when it was doneFinal takeAftersun is one of those films the dads admire deeply while also warning listeners to choose their moment carefully. It is quiet, ambiguous and emotionally bruising — a film about memory, parenting, depression, guilt, love and what children only understand years later.You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at [email protected] or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads