BIFA Cutting Room | Charlotte Wells on the most heartbreaking scene in Aftersun

[@ilsesaucedo4961]

She’s so right, this scene was excruciating and I was sobbing throughout it. I’m so glad he didn’t join her it would’ve cheapened it.

[@catherinecolwell8939]

It made you feel confident he would eventually join her right? And then he doesn’t and you feel this rift

[@catherinecolwell8939]

“I think I thought I saw you try” 😭

[@j0nnyism]

Singing herself was a great way of encouraging her actors.

[@taxmanfelix8605]

Just the most heartbreaking scene. Incredible to hear Charlotte talk about it.

[@juturburg]

the lyrics describing their situation so much, losing my religion has been on repeat after finishing the movie, crying all the time

[@estebancomulet]

Such a beautiful film. The ending left me completely floored. And this scene was stunning. Just so beautifully layered. Loved it.

[@dani.hana97]

It was painful to watch in the movie in all the right ways. Beautiful scene that really spoke a lot

[@Voeris1]

Brilliant! I felt everything the director described when I watched it.. and the last emotion, I couldn't put the right words on it as I watched it but, here the director puts it succinctly and beautifully. This strange loss of innocence and not being able to go back. Had similar feelings, a sort of.. "clash of wills" so to speak, in a beach vacation at about 13 or 14, but it was with my mother... Had to rewatch this scene and type out this comment in order to remember lol. Such a great film!

[@PayneToTheMax]

This film hits that really specific piece of existential dread wherein I feel like seeing my child grow up would ruin me -- I would want them to stop aging beyond, like, 12, to 'preserve' that innocence, and this film does an exceptional job at depicting this existentially torturous situation, where Calum seeing his daughter at that Growing Up stage of adolescence is sending him into a tailspin of further existential dread. This karaoke scene devastated me in this regard, while also solidifying this thematic for me: Sophie wants to carry out a tradition that, to her, is a token of her own childhood, an act now performed almost in defiance of her being on the cusp of adolescence (as she is sure to remind her father, they've been doing it on vacations "since [she] was five"); but Calum is torn between appeasing her daughter and coming to terms with the fact that she is growing up, that she doesn't 'need' her father as she once did, and that the karaoke might just be nothing more than a performative act of nostalgia. He doesn't want to let go of her, but it's all he can do at this point. His little girl is growing up, and she's singing all alone not because her father is lazy or uncaring, but the contrary: he cares too much. If he sings with her, he'll probably break out into tears. And so he hides behind a pint of beer, feeling like complete shit for letting his daughter down but also being unable to explain why he simply can't be there for her in this one instance. Sophie doesn't yet understand this, but she will, 20 years later, as do we all. Anyway. Yeah. This film really hit a personal chord within me. And now I'm sad again. Lol.

[@luva1s]

Thank you

[@pumpkinhill4570]

"she's singing all alone not because her father is lazy or uncaring, but the contrary: he cares too much" That's some backflips you're doing. It's not for her own good, are you kidding? He's just embarrassed, and he's not in a good enough place that day to fake it to the extent needed to go up on stage.

[@aswinbio1]

I din't feel this when watching the movie, but It is mesmerising and cathartic to realise what Wells intended to convey, the excruciating, yet invisible to one's self; transition from innocence to adulthood of his daughter. Fuck, that is some good writing!

[@popcornenglishonline9548]

Charlotte you touched our hearts with your movie

[@nevecariad]

Amazing scene

[@markwardel6751]

Really is an excruciating scene to watch.

[@emmanuelalvarez3926]

Awesome ❤

[@Mikejguevarra]

Amazingly a hard watch of a scene, definitely lost confidence here in Calus and felt the loss in innocence in Sophie especially afterwards how she tries hanging out with the teens and kisses the boy

[@artomarto679]

Is this the heart breaking seen people are taking about?? I thought one of them dies

[@reubenhendy]

no one dies in the film, but why would you search out the most "heartbreaking scene" without having seen it? definitely check this out, one of the best films I've seen for the past few years for sure