Regard first movie of the Scottish director, screenwriter and producer Charlotte Wellswhich won the prestigious Grand Prix at Festival of Deauville. A virtuoso and highly sensitive work about a young father and his daughter, Aftersun is also an important film about mental health.
On the occasion of the film’s theatrical release this Wednesday, February 1, to miss met director Charlotte Wells.
To miss. How did the idea and desire to make this film come about?
Charlotte Wells. It was sort of an extension of my very first short film, Tuesday. The two films are related in terms of cinematic exploration and the exploration of mourning. But I think it was just a small aspect that I was talking about at the time that I didn’t necessarily realize the importance of. I had leafed through old holiday albums and was struck by it my father’s youth when I too was approaching that age. These images inspired me, though the film it’s a fiction. It is the story of a young father and his daughter on holiday in the Mediterranean in the late 1990s.
Why did you choose to tell this story in a holiday context?
He was one of starting points of the project. I wanted to recreate those environments I frequented as a child. I thought it was interesting explore a relationship in a context far from a familiar environment, which is not the domestic one. I also think there is a inherent tension to this holiday context because as soon as you arrive at the hotel, sort of invisible clock ticking and advancing towards the end of the holidays.
Aftersun is a mystery film. We have the impression that we are looking for something, without really knowing what we are looking for. Did you have this feeling that you searched for something, but also found it while making Aftersun?
The reason for the research was fundamental to the writing. I imagined Sophia as an adult, who, having experienced the parenthood looks back to search. She’s not even sure what she’s looking for, but deep down I think she’s looking for a deeper understanding of his father.
He sifts through this last moment spent together in hopes of finding or rediscoverI think, a love they shared that ultimately transcends the anguish she experienced afterward.
I think you can use music to contradict an image on screen and use sound to add another layer of meaning. I want to use all of these things to describe the complexity and often contradiction inherent in human emotions.
And as for me, I always knew it was the film I wanted and needed to work on. I no longer considered diverting or working on another project. And I think I found something in that process. I spent time thinking about that part of my life and those feelings, and dealing with the pain I felt.
In Aftersun, cinematography, editing and sound give meaning. All these tools tell things that can even be contradictory to each other. Does it feel like you wrote the film in stages?
I am very interested in all the tools available in making a film, thanks to which meaning can be created. I find it very interesting that they can align but also contradict somehow. For example, I think you can use music to contradict an image on screen and use sound to add another layer of meaning. I want to use all of these things to describe the complexity and often contradiction inherent in human emotions.. It’s something I thought about a lot while writing this film, from creation to working with collaborators.
I wanted to portray depression in a way that was authentic, messy, complicated, sometimes contradictory and sometimes subversive of how people perceive it.
Aftersun is also a movie about mental health. AGAINSTHow did you think about the rare scenes that subtly evoke depression?
This is a very important topic in the film. Depression was always one of the hardest parts of creating this film, both in the script and in the production and post-production. I asked myself how to gradually reveal Calum’s fight against this disease. A struggle that he doesn’t know and fully understands, let alone Sophie, even when she is an adult.
I pictured this scene where Sophie is laying on the bed describing this feeling of dejection after a great day. Is this a symptom of a feeling you will have regularly as you grow older? I think he was really a kid expressing himself at the time a pretty normal feeling, the adrenaline rush after an exciting day. But Callum plays it differently. His reaction at this point in the film shows that, in his opinion, it has far more serious consequences. He is afraid that her daughter will have to lead the same fight against the disease.
I thought about why the film reached a wider audience than I had imagined, including why it resonated with a younger audience than any of us had anticipated. I think her portrayal of a sanity struggle has something to do with it.
Don’t you think your way of evoking depression contributes to the film’s success?
I wanted to represent the depression of a authentic, messy, complicated, sometimes contradictory and sometimes subversive way of what people perceive as her. As I wrote this, I received many comments from people telling me they represent depression from much more dramatic way. But that doesn’t seem true in the way the experience is often lived and above all self control.
I was very impressed that viewers told me they found this depiction of genuine depression depression, and who recognized themselves in this experience. I thought about why the film reached a wider audience than I had imagined, and specifically why it resonated with a younger audience than any of us expected. I think her portrayal of a sanity struggle has something to do with it.
Featured Image Credit: © A24
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
