Credit: A24

Bafta 2023: ‘Aftersun’ snubbed for Best Film nomination

Thu 19 January 2023 16:23, UK

The nominations for the 2023 BAFTAs have been released, with the harrowing WWI flick All Quiet on the Western Front leading the pack with 14 total nods, including for Best Film. Whilst the Edward Berger drama takes the headlines, it is Charlotte Wells’ powerful independent film Aftersun that is left in the shadows, with the marvellous British debut remarkably omitted from the list of five Best Film nominations.

Naming the film as our pick for the greatest of 2022, Wells’ Aftersun is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable British debuts of the 21st century. A drama which yearns with melancholy, Wells makes us nostalgic for lives we’ve never lived in her story, which follows a young woman who reflects on the shared joy of a holiday she took with her father 20 years earlier. Starring the brilliant Paul Mescal, who is nominated at the BAFTAs for Best Leading Actor, alongside newcomer Frankie Corio, the small gem of a film is a work of utter beauty.

Framing the whole story as if it were stuck within the remits of a time-bound photo album, it is the lead performances that make the film a joy to watch. Rising star Mescal impresses as protagonist Calum, giving a complex and nuanced performance. However, Corio, as Sophie, provides the most surprise, giving her character several layers of intricacy in a story that demands complexity from her role.

As an extraordinary British film, it is certainly surprising to see Aftersun restricted to just four nominations, receiving a nod for Outstanding British Film, Best Leading Actor, Best Casting and Best Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer.

Instead, it is All Quiet on the Western Front, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Tár, each receiving the Best Film nod. Whilst Aftersun misses out, the most concerning thing about these nominees is the complete lack of female filmmakers, particularly in a year that included such special releases as Maria Schrader’s She Said, Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Sara Dosa’s Fire of Love and Laura Mora Ortega’s The Kings of the World.

Take a look at the trailer for Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun below.