Its lead actor was Oscar nominated for his performance.
Aftersun, the 2022 independent drama that served as Paul Mescal’s major breakthrough in terms of cinema, will have its Irish TV premiere tonight (Sunday 11 February).
Set in the ’90s, the movie centres on a woman named Sophie as she looks back upon a pivotal holiday she took when she was 11 (Frankie Curio) with her estranged father, Calum (Mescal), to Turkey.
“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 reads.
The debut feature from writer-director Charlotte Wells, Aftersun is an incredibly powerful, vividly-realised portrait of memory, childhood and familial bonds.
It also features two of the greatest performances in recent memory by Curio and Mescal, who each manage to convey so much to the viewer even when they don’t have dialogue.
The latter rightfully earned a surprise a Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for his performance in the drama and we’d argue Curio probably should have scored a Best Actress nomination too.
Boasting a 96% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, Aftersun will be airing on Irish television for the first time on BBC Two NI at 11.15pm.
It is also available to rent on Apple TV, Curzon, Rakuten TV and the Sky Store.
Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:
Total Recall – ITV4 – 9pm
Arnold Schwarzenegger leads the cast of this futuristic sci-fi action classic from Paul Verhoeven, playing an Earth-based construction worker with a hidden past.
Jack Reacher – Film4 – 9pm
Tom Cruise’s first outing as author Lee Child’s most famous creation is immensely watchable.
Buried – Legend Xtra – 9pm
Ryan Reynolds gave his best performance in this 2010 thriller about a man buried alive in a wooden coffin.
Jumanji: The Next Level – E4 – 9pm
Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart return in this fantasy adventure sequel.
Paul Mescal in Aftersun, our TV movie pick
National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1 – Comedy Central – 9pm
A ’90s action comedy parody starring Emilio Estevez and Samuel L. Jackson.
My Bloody Valentine – Sky Sci-Fi – 10pm
A pretty fun, albeit gruesome, slasher remake starring The Boys’ Jensen Ackles.
Bad Boys – Pick – 10pm
Not the Martin Lawrence and Will Smith buddy cop flick but the acclaimed 1983 coming-of-age crime drama film set in a juvenile detention centre featuring a young Sean Penn.
Selma – BBC One – 11.30pm
David Oyelowo is Martin Luther King Jr. in this acclaimed historical drama.
The Big Man – Film4 – 11.40pm
In this 1990 sports drama, Liam Neeson plays a former prisoner forced into bare-knuckle boxing to make ends meet.
Read more:
- Barry Keoghan speaks about being banned from Irish cinema as a teen on Hot Ones
- Remake of horror movie so brutal it was once banned is now streaming on Netflix
- Stylish and thrilling new Irish horror movie is in cinemas now
- Cillian Murphy to re-team with Peaky Blinders director on new Netflix movie
- Netflix has quietly added 15 huge movies to its library
- Netflix viewers rave about ‘anxiety-inducing’ horror movie that’s rocketed to No. 1 spot
- Powerful new Netflix documentary about Irish woman travelling to Ukraine to rescue friend
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