Aftersun Explained: Summary, Cast Members, Colum’s Suicide, Rug’s Memory, Last Dance, Ending

Waqar Ahmad May 21, 2024

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Aftersun Explained: Summary, Cast Members, Colum’s Suicide, Rug’s Memory, Last Dance, Ending

What does the title mean Aftersun explained it. And what are the important themes in this movie? The title Aftersun is a representation of the consequences of a stressful event, which means the death of Sophie’s father Colum. The movie uncovers the themes of memory, sorrow, depression, anxiety, and the complications of human relationships.

Aftersun was generated by famous director and writer Charlotte Wells in her first launch. This film won an Academy Award in 2023 for male Best Actor Paul Mescal, who plays the role of Calum. The movie Aftersun succeeds a young Scottish girl called Sophie (Frankie Corio) who spent wonderful times off with her father Calum at a Turkish destination.

Calum is currently divorced from his wife and utilizing this chance to create a strong connection with his daughter on the evening of his 31st birthday. Aftersun examines secret aspects of family relationships and unhappiness with a strong and unclear ending that indicates unsaid pain.

The unclear finale of Aftersun drops it and discovers the themes of regret, love, and depression effectively. A frightening exploration into Calum’s psychological condition. Aftersun spotlights how individuals have well-hidden sorrows even from close relations until the situation is irreversible.

In this guide, we explore in-depth knowledge of Aftersun explained, summary, cast members, Colum’s suicide, rug’s memory, last dance, and ending.

Table of Contents

Detailed Summary Of Aftersun Movie

What is Aftersun about? Aftersun is explained as a growing-up movie that was written and directed by Charlotte Wells in 2022. It struggles with intense issues of depression, anxiety, guilt, memory, and love from a particular perspective truly and effectively of the young Sophie.

Sophie is a young girl with her beloved family members and on her birthday she remembers the last moments that she spent with her father Calum when they explored Turkey for a summer holiday. During the holidays Sophie is just 11 years old, but she cannot recognize that her father is suffering from depression and anxiety.

Calum wears a mask of happiness but he is privately battling with his disorder during the trip. Sophie only discovers these truths after reflection as an adult. She glances back at the video recording captured during their trip and goes to understand how much her father was feeling pain.

Depending on the conclusion, we can suppose Calum committed suicide after dropping Sophie off on the airport grounds. Sophie is not gazing into the past at her father and what cut his life short. Aftersun explained its ending is unclear, but there are indications and dialogues in the movie that can help explain the story.

Cast Members Of Aftersun Movie(2022)

What are the names of the main cast members in this movie? Aftersun explained the two main cast members column and his daughter Sophie, their acting is widely praised by viewers. Here is the list of other cast members:

Paul Mescal, his character name is Calum and the father of young Sophie.
⁠Fran Frankie Corio, her character’s name is Sophie.
⁠Brooklyn Toulson, his character’s name is Michael.
⁠Celia Rowlson Hall played the role of adult Sophie.
⁠Ethan James Smith, his character name is Scott.
⁠Sally Messham, her character name is Belinda.
Kayleigh Coleman, his character name is Jane.
Spike Fearn, ⁠⁠his character name is Olly.
Ruby Thompson, her character name is Laura.
Harry Perdios, his character name is Toby⁠.

The Ending Of Aftersun Movie

What are the best ending scenes of the movie? As we know, the ending of the movie is not happy because Colum ended his own life and is no more in Sophie’s life. But still towards the end of Aftersun, Calum and Sophie share a last dance on the final farewell night of their holidays.

The father and daughter share an adoring and cheerful dance, alternating with scenes of Calum dancing alone at some secret rave. The next scene at the end of the season is Calum and Sophie both at the airport.

Calum gestures goodbye to Sophie as she travels back to her mother’s house and the camera revolves to showcase that the scene is a home video that the adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) is observing alone.

Sophie appears with a family of her own as she goes through old videos of her holidays with Calum. After a stop, he drops the camera and rotates around to move toward two doors at the far end of the hall.

When he forces through them, they are displayed to lead to the same rave that is been exposed during the film. Calum arrives at the rave and the doors close as the closing screen.

Colum Committed Suicide In The Aftermath Of Aftersun

Several scenes in the film indicate Colum’s significant depression. In the opening scene, he walks leisurely in front of an onrushing bus. Fortunately, nothing comes off and though he pretends to be confused, it’s an initial signal that Calum is not reasoning logically and has been acting impulsively.

Calum conceals his economic hardships and his smoking from his daughter Sophie. The symptoms that Calum’s depression is contributing to suicide are extremely evident when he goes for a swim at night alone.

Fans would be justified to think that is the last time they will observe Calum. Despite getting away from the water alive, Calum sadly arrives at the hotel lonely and weeping for hours and writes a letter for his daughter Sophie.

During all of these alarming scenes, there is a collective feeling of apathy and sadness released from Calum.

The Rug In Sophie’s House Belonged To Colum

What is the story behind the rug? Are you interested to know? If yes then lets memories the beautiful memory between Sophie and his father Colum. A scene at the end of Aftersun makes a previous scene much more significant.

In adult Sophie’s house, there is a big ornate homemade rug mounted on the wall. During the Turkey holiday trip, Calum and Sophie visited a rug store and Calum demanded Sophie select one.

Even though Calum is incapable of paying for the rug, he later goes to the store again without Sophie to buy it in secret. This same rug is one that mounted on her wall in the future. It’s a special moment that shows the deep affection between Sophie and Colum.

Last Dance Of Sophie & Colum On Under Pressure Song

What is the reason for adding the Under Pressure song in the movie Aftersun explained it.? The song themes of pressure and finding solace with Colum’s mental health difficulties.

Although, on the last day of their holidays in Turkey Calum requested Sophie to join him on the dance floor, and they embraced and rocked to David Bowie and Queen’s “Under Pressure.”

The music title of the song is a r evident hallucination of Calum’s current mental illness and the emotion of being under pressure his whole life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Aftersun explained the psychological complexities of the secret of age, perception, and the interdependence of our choices. Despite its mesmerizing sagas and breathtaking twists, the movie urges us to ponder our purpose in life and the limitations of the world.

The movie ends with Sophie getting on a flight and saying goodbye to her father Calum, as he takes a photo of her on camera. The scenario then skips to grown-up Sophie looking at this footage, indicating that she is mediating her childhood and her association with her father.

From the beginning to the end of the film, it is evident that Calum is coping with mental health problems such as depression and general anxiety disorder that he is unsettled by his past.

The film’s director, Charlotte Wells, has expressed that she deliberately wrapped up the ending open to analysis wishing audiences to create their ending about Calum’s destiny and the influence of his hardships on Sophie’s life.

Lastly, you gain absolute knowledge about Aftersun explained in this article. What’s your opinion about the ending of the movie? Was it satisfactory?

FAQs On Aftersun Explained

1: What is the point of the Aftersun movie?

A great movie Aftersun is about memory. In a talk show, the director and writer of the film Charlotte Wells explained that the complete segment of the movie is adult Sophie, who is glancing back and remembering this trip and her father.

2: Why was Calum depressed in Aftersun explained movie?

Calum is extremely sensitive and his mental and emotional health is extremely disturbed. In addition, he always experiences suicidal thoughts because he was raised in a very toxic family. He desires to give a better or bright future to his daughter but he is unable to do it.

3: Did Calum buy the rug in Aftersun?

Yes, he may feel that this rug can support him to discover deeper peace. The owner of the rug shop says that its price is 850 dollars which is high priced for Calum, so he and Sophie go. After some days Calum revisited the rug store to purchase the beautiful rug.

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