Twenty years ago, divorced Dad Callum (Paul Mescal) went on holiday to Turkey with his 11 year old daughter Sophie (Francesca Corio). Now Sophie, played as an adult by Celia Rowlson-Hall, reflects on the events of the trip.
It is hard to describe why I found this film so engrossing. Watching the pair in their hotel or on trips, I had a real feeling of dread, as I was convinced that some awful was about to happen. That gave me a knotted feeling in the stomach and the movie a mesmerising quality. I will not give any spoilers other than to say it is left to the audience to ultimately decipher what they see and what the ramifications of the trip were. Remarkably this is the debut feature for Charlotte Wells both as a writer and director as it is such an accomplished work.
Mescal is convincing as the father who seems to often be on the verge of despair and Corio, who made this film when she was 9, is astonishing naturalistic.
Haunting and quite beautiful.
Rating: 9.25 out of 10