Critics who have seen this film at festivals, where the director can reveal details in person about the film and answer questions to clear up misconceptions, can then write their reviews based on information the average viewer does not have. These critics then read other critics' reviews and, not wanting to be seen as churlish or unkind, tend to accentuate the same positive elements and downplay the elements that don't work or are under-developed in a film. This is why some films as mediocre as, say, Cameraperson or Moonlight or Petite Maman, end up on so many 10-best lists. I believe this is what has happened with Aftersun. It is gentle, well-imagined, filmed and edited with invention, and performed with naturalistic touches, but it is also underwhelming, content to suggest portentous events but unwilling to create even a hint of drama surrounding them. I had many questions about the characters and their back stories, and I don't believe that providing just a few answers would have hurt the movie's mood. In fact, they would have enhanced it. Aftersun is a lovely debut for the director, but it is also flawed in many ways, the flaws illustrative of many first-time films that in an effort to avoid being too obvious end up being too reticent.
