One of the best movies of the 2020s is on TV tonight

The film's Irish lead was Oscar-nominated for his performance.

The film revolves around Sophie (Frankie Curio), an 11-year-old in the 1990s who embarks on a holiday to a Turkish resort with her estranged father, Calum (Mescal).

"As a world of adolescence creeps into view for young Sophie, beyond her eye, Calum struggles under the weight of life outside of fatherhood," the plot synopsis adds.

Aftersun was writer-director Charlotte Wells' debut feature and also served as Paul Mescal's breakthrough movie.

An incredibly powerful and vividly realised portrait of memory, childhood and familial bonds, the film boasts two of the greatest performances in recent memory by Curio and Mescal.

The pair manage to convey so much to the viewer, even with little dialogue. In fact, Mescal rightfully earned a surprise Best Actor Oscar nomination for his haunting performance as a dad struggling to conceal his inner turmoil from his daughter.

We'd argue that Curio probably should have scored a Best Actress nom, too.

Boasting a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Aftersun is airing on TV tonight on BBC Two at 11.45pm. The movie is also available to stream on Mubi.

Aftersun Trailer

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

Captain Phillips - Film4 - 9pm

Tom Hanks gives an excellent performance in this tense real-life hijacking drama.

Paul - Comedy Central - 9pm

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg star in this sci-fi comedy as two comic book lovers going on a road trip across the USA who come across an alien (voiced by Seth Rogen).

Contraband - Legend - 9pm

Mark Wahlberg headlines this solid crime thriller, playing a former smuggler and family man coerced back into the criminal life for one last job.

Narrow Margin - Legend Xtra - 9pm

A ’90s neo-noir action thriller starring Anne Archer and Gene Hackman.

Top Gun - RTÉ2 - 9.05pm

"I feel the need—the need for speed!"

La chimera - BBC Four - 9.20pm

This acclaimed drama, starring Josh O'Connor as a British archaeologist-turned-grave robber in 1980s Italy, has also been called one of the best movies of the 2020s.

For a Few Dollars More - Sky Arts - 9.30pm

The classic Western sequel in which Clint Eastwood reprises his role as "The Man with No Name".

The Pursuit of Happyness - TG4 - 9.30pm

Will Smith stars in this powerful drama as a newly single father determined to lift himself and his son out of poverty.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Channel 4 - 10pm

The solid fifth entry in the Tom Cruise-led action spy film franchise.

Red Heat - Legend - 11.15pm

In this fun ’80s action flick, a Russian cop (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is forced to team up with an American detective (Jim Belushi) to take down a dangerous criminal.

Breakfast on Pluto - RTÉ One - 11.30pm

Director Neil Jordan and writer Patrick McCabe reteamed after their great '90s comedy-drama The Butcher Boy for this 2005 movie starring Cillian Murphy.

Old - Film4 - 11.40pm

One of the most underrated movies of recent years, this M. Night Shyamalan-directed horror thriller follows a group of vacationers who travel to a secluded tropical beach that holds very strange powers.