Aftersun

This is another 2023 film that critics praised despite the sad fact that it goes nowhere in a cinematic version of slow motion. They succeeded in getting Paul Mescal a best actor Oscar nomination, for reasons that are impossible to justify.

Separated from his wife, Calum (Mescal) takes his 11-year-old daughter, Sophie, on a vacation to a rundown Turkish resort. The film is basically a story of her as an adult reflecting back on this trip and time spent with her father.

Yet while the father/daughter interaction was sweet, it largely drifted from one semi-interesting resort encounter to the next one. Though writer/director Charlotte Wells has been praised for this film, I must admit that I, as a divorced father, had far more exciting trips with my 11-year-old son.

Unfortunately, Aftersun is further proof that insider critics control most Oscar nominations.