Interview: Charlotte Wells – Aftersun

This year’s “buzz” title at the Cannes Film Festival was tucked away in the Critics’ Week section and everywhere Charlotte Wells‘ debut feature has gone to since has managed disarm auds. Freshly released in theatres via the A24 folks, Aftersun is a conjoined character made rich by its sturdy introspective look into what is a loving father-daughter dynamic (remarkable synergy between newbie Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal is especially noteworthy) but with possible cracks in the foundation. Influenced by films such as Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, this set in a Turkish resort town escape-cation is a hearty look into the how memory serves us, defines us and how it can control us. This is an immense first work.

Amidst of flurry of recent nominations and fest awards (including Cinema Eye Honors’ non-fiction blurring Heterodox Award), I had the chance to sit down with Charlotte who was in Toronto for the film’s Canadian premiere at the 2022 Toronto Intl. Film Festival. I had the chance to ask the filmmaker about the process during the pre-production phase, her choice to include DV footage in the mix and how she worked with both actors.