Summary

Charlotte Wells’Aftersunis a visually stunning movie that uses various locations to tell Sophie and Calum’s story.TheAftersuncast, led by Paul Mescal, follows a father and daughter, Sophie and Calum, on their last holiday in Turkey.The movie features beautiful shots of the sea, mountains, and beachin a small but beautiful resort town where Calum takes Sophie on their summer vacation.

Aftersunhas received glowing reviews, which can partly be attributed to how the carefully chosen locations enrich Sophie and Calum’s story.Aftersunwas filmed entirely on location, which made it easier for audiences to fully immerse themselves in Sophie and Calum’s vacation. The production designer forAftersun, Billur Turna,used Flickr albums to see how Fethiye looked in the ’90s to make the scenes in the movie feel as authentic to Turkey as possible. Ultimately, the goal of the locations that were used inAftersunwas to tell a beautiful and timeless story.

Collage of Sophie and Calum smiling and Calum filminf himself in a hallway in Aftersun,

Aftersun Ending Explained: What Happened To Calum?

The Aftersun ending needs to be explained to fully understand the heartwrenching and nostalgic drama, which earned Paul Mescal an Oscar nomination.

The Main Filming Location For Aftersun Was In Ölüdeniz, Turkey

Sophie and Calum spent their last holiday together in Turkey.Therefore, it makes sense that the chief filming location ofAftersunwas in Ölüdeniz, a resort town in Fethiye, Turkey. During the filming ofAftersun, Charlotte Wells took Paul and Frankie around Ölüdeniz with her camera to find locations that felt authentic to their story. One of the scenes in the movie, dubbed “Big Head," shows Calum and Sophie walking before he tells her she has a big head, was shot in a street in Ölüdeniz.

Aftersunwon the French Touch Prize of the Jury at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

Paul Mescal as Calum and Frankie Corio as Sophie dancing and hugging in Aftersun

The Two Buildings Used In Aftersun Were Telmessos Neva Hotel And Turk Hotel

Sophie And Calum’s Hotel Scenes Were Shot At Telmessos Neva Hotel And Turk Hotel

TheAftersunproduction team used two different buildings for Calum and Sophie’s hotel scenes:the Telmessos Neva Hotel in the Hisaronu region and the Turk Hotel. Most of the scenes inAftersunwere shot at the Telmessos Neva Hotel. For instance, the water slides, the giant sun beds, and the pool table where Calum and Sophie hang out and where she makes friends with the other kids were at the Telmessos Neva Hotel. The karaoke scene and entertainment night were also shot at the Telmessos Neva Hotel.

Paul Mescal got an Oscar nomination for his role as Calum inAftersun.

Sophie and Calum posing for a picture against the ocean in Aftersun

The second building featured in the movie is the Turk Hotel, which is located near the sea. The scene where Calum and Sophie are lounging by the pool, listening to music through their headphones, was shot at the Turk Hotel. The closing scene, where Sophie and Calum dance to one of the best songs ontheAftersunsoundtrack, “Under Pressure,” took place at the Turk Hotel.

The Last And First Day Of Sophie And Calum’s Vacation Was Shot At Belcekiz Beach

SinceAftersunwas shot in a resort town that is near the sea, it’s not surprising that the film featured various shots of the beach. The beach in question is Belcekiz Beach, which runs along the front of Ölüdeniz.Belcekiz Beach is one of the most important locationsinAftersunbecause it featured scenes that showed the first and last days of Calum and Sophie’s vacation. The scene where Sophie and Calum are swimming on the first day of their vacation was shot at Belcekiz Beach, as was the scene where Calum swims alone at night on the last day of their vacation.

Sultaniye Is One Of The Most Famous Locations In Aftersun

TheAftersunproduction team also utilized one of the most famous places in Turkey, Sultaniye. Sultaniye is located on Lake Koycegiz and isfamous for being visited by Cleopatra, Sting, and David Bowie, whose song “Under Pressure” is featured on theAftersunsoundtrack. Two scenes inAftersunwere shot at Sultaniye. The first scene is where Sophie and Calum soak in the mud bath and talk about Cleopatra. The second scene shot at Sultaniye shows Sophie and Calum on floaters on Lake Koycegiz.

Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal spent two weeks at a holiday resort in Turkey to make their dynamic more authentic in the movie.

Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio in Aftersun

Sophie And Calum Celebrated His Birthday At The Amphitheater

One of the most heartwarming scenes inAftersunwas shot in Kaunos, Turkey.Kaunos is one of the most ancient towns in Turkeyand has an amphitheater that was built around the 4th century BC. It is this amphitheater that Sophie and Calum visit after their mud bath. While in the amphitheater, Sophie gets the tourists to sing “For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow” to celebrate Calum’s birthday. Another scene shot at Kaunos shows Sophie and Calum sitting and taking in the beautiful, clear blue skies of Ölüdeniz.

Most of the scenes inAftersunare shot outdoors. Only a handful of scenes show Sophie and Calum in their hotel room. All the places shown inAftersunare real,as Charlotte Wells wanted the movie to reflect her childhood memories of being on holiday in Turkey.

Calum and Sophie lying on a pool deck together looking up at the sky in Aftersun.

Aftersun Movie Poster