At a fading vacation resort, 11-year-old Sophie treasures rare time together with her loving and idealistic father, Calum (Paul Mescal). As a world of adolescence creeps into view, beyond her eye Calum struggles under the weight of life outside of fatherhood. Twenty years later, Sophie’s tender recollections of their last holiday become a powerful and heartrending portrait of their relationship, as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t, in Charlotte Wells’ superb and searingly emotional debut film.

For in-depth thoughts on Aftersun, please see my colleague Brandon Lewis’s review from its original TIFF debut here.

Video Quality

Aftersun comes to Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer from a 2K digital master in 1.85:1 courtesy of A24 which provides a stellar presentation that showcases this film without a hiccup. This lovely transfer offers a stable image quality throughout without any visual deficits. The fact that this was shot on 35mm translates well on disc with most shots presenting with more texture than many modern digital productions. There are some scenes that portray home movie footage that understandably is not as crisp as the normal footage, but this is by design.

Cinematographer Gregory Oke captures some sumptuous scenery which really thrives in high definition. Colors come alive when it comes to clothing and certain locales such as the brilliant blue sky and some of the lighting in the club. Not only do the textural details render cleanly, but colors are suffused in a way that complements the aesthetic of the film. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime. There is no semblance of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances even in the most dimly lit locations. We would have loved to have seen this in 4K UHD Blu-Ray, but we understand the decision not to upscale a 2K DI. It’s a fantastic transfer.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an immensely pleasing DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that faithfully accomplishes everything it sets out to do. Dialogue is the star of the film, and it always comes through crisp and clear without being encumbered by any competing sounds. The score from Oliver Coates and other music in the film emanates from the speakers with first-rate fidelity. The movie is pretty much the antithesis of an action film, but it provides texture in the songs and other key moments. Ambient sounds pop up in the rear channels to capture the nuances of the gentle locale. The audio track is not flashy, but it does exactly what it needs to do. There are optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Charlotte Wells provides a great commentary track in which she discusses the production of the film, shooting on location, the relationship between the performers, the production design and costumes, the challenges faced during shooting, technical elements, subtle moments that mean a lot and much more.

Postcards: There are six collectible postcards featuring artwork from the film by Cynthia Lahti.

Final Thoughts

Aftersun is a superb debut from Charlotte Wells which tells a father-daughter story through a lens not often explored onscreen in such a raw and effective manner. The narrative is reserved, but every small moment or movement amounts to something quite profound. Paul Mescal solidifies his status as a dramatic force on the big screen, and Frankie Corio raises the bar for what is expected from a child performer. Their dynamic on screen is magic, and the film is one that sticks with you long after the credits have finished rolling. A24 has released a Blu-Ray with a wonderful A/V presentation and welcome commentary track. This is a film not to be missed. Recommended

Aftersun is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray exclusively at the A24 Shop.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: A24 has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.