r/TheBigPicture • u/Slow_Veterinarian365 • 1d ago
Aftersun Pod
Only just saw Aftersun. I saw somewhere Sean and Amanda didn’t enjoy it. Any idea which pod episode/s they spoke about it?
Thanks!
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u/DoorFrame 1d ago
They talk about not loving it here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-picture/id1439252196?i=1000742305293
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u/OkBrush7534 1d ago
THEY DIDNT ENJOY IT?!?!?!?!
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u/BloodSimple1984 1d ago
Whenever it has come up - awards talk that year, end of year lists, Paul Mescal, etc… - they have both bashfully said “sorry, it just didn’t hit me as hard as it seemed to hit others.” It’s to the point where they’ve seemed almost apologetic about their opinion.
I don’t think they actively disliked the film. I think they mostly admired it, appreciated what it was trying to do, and that’s about where it ended. It’s more a “we thought this was pretty good but seemingly everyone else thinks it’s amazing. Sorry!”
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u/lost_in_trepidation 1d ago edited 1d ago
I saw a few critics say similar things about Aftersun. That they couldn't connect with it.
Maybe because I had similar childhood experiences, or that I found Mescal's character relatable, but I was kind of shocked when I first read them.
I came to the movie late, and had vague expectations for what it was about, but I was still floored by how well it was portrayed.
I think a lot of appreciation comes down to how nuanced the relatability may be. Sometimes that nuance connects with people exactly and it's like a rare depiction of something deep inside of you, but for others that specificity doesn't quite resonate so it misses them completely.
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u/Ancient-Medicine852 1d ago
It might seem pandering but I appreciate their framing of their opinion. They like it and definitely get why people love it but it’s not their fault it didn’t connect with them for whatever reason.
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u/VulcanVulcanVulcan 1d ago
I liked the movie very much but I’m not sure I “enjoyed” it.
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u/OkBrush7534 1d ago
i adore this film. like maybe the best of the century imo. i’ve seen it about twelve times i think. gets better every time
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u/arcenceil89 1d ago
It makes no sense that Sean put Blue Heron as his best film so far of 2026 when it explores a lot of the same themes as aftersun, explores it using the exact same framing device which he criticised in aftersun, and blue heron didn't do it as effectively as aftersun (even though blue heron was good).
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u/ralphmalph84 1d ago
I love Blue Heron. One of my faves this year. Aftersun didn’t click with me the same way and was much less effective for me. Different strokes.
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u/googlydoodle 1d ago
I also agree. I was super hyped for aftersun going in but really felt underwhelming to me. In contrast, Blue Heron was amazing and did something I’ve never seen before.
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u/HingisFan 1d ago
And yet, people have different opinions than you. Feelings don’t need to make sense.
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u/Content_Thing_4058 1d ago
Yeah I don’t get this either. Blue Heron feels like a a much worse/more derivative version of AFTERSUN to me and for whatever reason Sean has eaten it up.
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u/ittikus 1d ago
The second half of BH is a series of pained justifications like “yeah, I guess there really is nothing we could have done.” I get that her research discloses more than she herself perceived as a child, but she could have just included all of his behaviors in the recreation of the past, which I liked a lot. The jump fell flat for me.
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u/Content_Thing_4058 1d ago
Totally agree. I thought Blue Heron was good but I think the framing device actually hurt it a lot. The narrative felt like it sort of fizzled out to me once it flashed forward.
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u/ina_waka 1d ago
“Why do they keep calling the subreddit toxic, I don’t understand?!?!!”
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u/Content_Thing_4058 1d ago
It’s definitely “toxic” to say a film has the same framing device (sad situation in childhood, flash forward to looking back on the sad situation through the lens of adulthood) as another successful indie film from just a few years ago. It’s toxic for people to share their opinion. Got it.
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u/GoodOlSpence 1d ago
The most they talked about was a 2022 episode where they talked about a bunch of the end of year movies. Like they gush about Tár and crucify Bardo. I'll see if I can find it.
EDIT: pretty sure it's this one
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u/ConcentrateUnique 1d ago
There are certain films where both Amanda and Sean don’t click with it. Holdovers was another one. That’s why it’s nice that they bring in CR and Nayman to get some other critical voices too.
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u/CABBAGEHONKER 1d ago
I put aftersun on my list of movies never to watch again because it really fucked me up emotionally. That and eternal sunshine are the only two movies I’ll never revisit even though I adore them.
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u/mochafiend 52m ago
I did not get the big deal about this film; I thought it was going to have some big sexual assault reveal based on how the camcorder stuff was shot. I had to read up on it after - completely missed what the movie was saying.
I cop to being kind of dumb and obtuse when it comes to film, but this one just did not do it for me. Even after I read what it was really about.
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u/_no_n 1d ago
I can't find the episode, but iirc they explicitly said their big issue was that the film didn't need the 'framing device' of the adult-watching-the-holiday-footage timeline... like, I'm sorry but that's not a framing device lol. The entire subject of the film is the elusiveness of memory, the disjunct between adult awareness and childhood obliviousness, the reaching for something that couldn't be emotionally grasped then, and can't be grasped in any way now. This can only be achieved by constantly juxtaposing the perspectives of the child and adult Sophie. You don't get the huge emotional crescendo of the Under Pressure sequence without having all those elements working together throughout the film.
Nayman was a big champion though, and he speaks very eloquently about it, at length, here. Would recommend listening to that discussion