Aftersun – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Aftersun

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2022

68%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Haunting memory-puzzle about a father's hidden depression—critics love it, but it'll wreck you emotionally.

7.6/10

96%

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Aftersun

movie

R, 2022

68%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Haunting memory-puzzle about a father's hidden depression—critics love it, but it'll wreck you emotionally.

7.6

96%

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7.6/10

96%

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Screenwise Verdict

Aftersun is a masterpiece of understated filmmaking—critics are right to rave about it. But let's be clear: this is not family movie night material.

It's a slow, sad, beautifully crafted puzzle about a daughter trying to understand her father's depression twenty years after a beach vacation they shared. Paul Mescal is quietly devastating, and the film's fragmented structure mirrors how memory works—what we see, what we miss, what we piece together later.

For the right viewer—a mature teen or adult who appreciates slow cinema and can handle heavy emotional content—this is profoundly enriching. For everyone else, it's going to feel like homework that makes you cry. The 96% critic score is earned, but that 81% audience score tells you this isn't for everyone.

If your teen is dealing with family mental health issues or is just really into arthouse cinema, this could spark important conversations. But if they're looking for entertainment, point them literally anywhere else.

Age Fit

This is for mature teens (16+) and adults who can handle heavy themes about depression and mental illness. The Common Sense Media recommendation of 14 feels young—this requires real emotional sophistication to appreciate and process. Not for kids.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is a melancholic meditation on depression and mental health that's emotionally heavy and deliberately opaque. The father-daughter relationship is tender but tinged with sadness and unspoken pain. It's not uplifting or comforting—it's designed to leave you unsettled as you piece together what Sophie is remembering about her father's struggles. The tone is contemplative and sad, not chaotic, but it's far from emotionally healthy viewing for most ages.

Imaginative

Charlotte Wells' debut is visually inventive, blending home-video aesthetics with dreamlike sequences and a fragmented memory structure. The film asks viewers to actively reconstruct the past alongside Sophie, filling gaps between what's real and imagined. It's subtle, artful filmmaking that invites interpretation rather than spelling everything out. The 96% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and 95 Metacritic rating reflect its originality and craft.

Safe

Rated R but the NYT notes 'some bad words and tough situations, but nothing a sensitive adolescent couldn't handle.' No graphic violence, sex, or gore. The real safety concern is thematic: this is about depression, mental illness, and implied suicide. It's emotionally heavy and requires maturity to process. Common Sense Media suggests 14+, which feels right—younger kids would be confused and potentially disturbed by the subtext.

Enriching

This is deeply enriching for the right viewer—it's a sophisticated exploration of memory, grief, parent-child relationships, and how we reconcile who our parents are versus who we thought they were. Frankie Corio's performance is remarkable. For teens grappling with complex family dynamics or mental health awareness, it offers empathy and insight. But it's challenging, slow-paced, and requires emotional maturity. Not entertainment in the traditional sense.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Stunning debut from Charlotte Wells with a 96% RT score and 95 Metacritic—this is serious, artful filmmaking
Frankie Corio's performance as 11-year-old Sophie is phenomenal and naturalistic
Sophisticated exploration of how we remember our parents and what we miss as kids that becomes clear as adults
Visually inventive with home-video aesthetics and dreamlike sequences that mirror fragmented memory
For mature teens dealing with family mental health issues, this offers profound empathy and insight

⚠

What to Watch For

This is about depression and implied suicide—it's emotionally devastating and requires maturity to process
Deliberately slow and opaque; you have to piece together what's happening, which can be frustrating
Reddit users call it 'one of the most haunting movies' and 'tough to get through'—not casual viewing
The sadness lingers; this isn't a feel-good father-daughter story

Conversation Starters

"What do you think Sophie was starting to understand about her dad that she didn't see as a kid?"
"Have you ever looked back on a memory and realized there was more going on than you understood at the time?"
"Why do you think adults sometimes hide their struggles from the people they love?"
"What do you think the rave scenes at the end represent for Sophie?"

Deep Dive

Most movies about father-daughter bonds are either Pixar-level sweet or high-stakes protective. Aftersun is neither. It is a ghost story where the ghost is still alive, and the haunting happens in broad daylight at a budget Turkish resort. While it holds a spot on our list of the best father-daughter movies, it is the tonal opposite of a crowd-pleaser. It is a quiet, devastating look at the gap between who our parents are and who we think they are when we’re eleven years old.

The "Boredom" Threshold

The biggest hurdle for a modern audience—especially teens—is the pacing. Charlotte Wells doesn't use a traditional plot. There are no big secrets revealed in a third-act shouting match. Instead, you get long takes of Paul Mescal’s character, Calum, applying sunscreen or Frankie Corio’s Sophie lounging by a pool.

If your teen needs a story that moves at the speed of a TikTok feed, they will likely check out in ten minutes. But if they have the patience for "slow cinema," the payoff is a profound emotional ache that stays with you for days. It’s a movie that rewards those who pay attention to the details: a flickering camcorder screen, a rug that costs too much money, or the way a father’s face falls when his daughter isn't looking.

Why it works for mature teens

Common Sense Media suggests 14, but that feels like a stretch unless your 14-year-old is already navigating the ultimate guide to the best teen movies and prefers A24 dramas over blockbusters. This is a 16+ experience because it requires a specific kind of empathy.

The film captures that precise moment in adolescence when you realize your parents are just people struggling to keep their heads above water. For a teen who has dealt with a parent’s mental health struggles or a divorce, this movie will feel less like a "story" and more like a mirror. It’s one of the most touching father-daughter movies precisely because it doesn't offer easy answers or a happy ending.

The Tubi Factor

It is rare to find a film with a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 95 Metacritic rating streaming on free platforms like Tubi, Plex, or The Roku Channel. Usually, movies this "prestige" are locked behind a subscription or a $5.99 rental fee. The accessibility is great, but don't let the "free" price tag fool you into thinking this is casual background viewing.

If you’re going to watch this with your teen, do it on a night when you’re both ready to actually talk afterward. You’ll need the time to decompress. The final sequence—set to a specific 80s pop song—is a masterclass in visual storytelling that will leave most viewers in a stunned silence.

If they liked this, try...

If your kid actually finishes Aftersun and likes it, they have officially graduated to "film person" status. They might enjoy other naturalistic coming-of-age stories like Eighth Grade or Lady Bird. However, if they found this too slow or "depressing," pivot back to something with a more traditional arc. Aftersun is a masterpiece, but it’s a heavy one. Use it as a litmus test for your teen’s emotional maturity. If they "get" why the rug scene matters, they’re seeing the world with adult eyes now.

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