Double Feature: 'Aftersun' and 'Blue Heron'

Two semi-autobiographical films deal with the fragile nature of memory and the theme of reconciling with loved ones.

AwardsWatch 20 August 2026 Source: AwardsWatch

Two films that are semi-autobiographical tales set partially during the protagonist's childhood in the 1990s have caught the attention of film enthusiasts. These films, 'Aftersun' (2022) and 'Blue Heron' (2026), deal with the fragile nature of memory, particularly with the memory of who a loved one truly was.

'Aftersun' centers on the reckoning with the memory of a parent. Loosely based on Charlotte Wells' childhood, the film follows 11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) who's on holiday in Turkey with her young father Calum (Paul Mescal) on the eve of his 31st birthday. The film serves as an evocation more than a traditional linear narrative, juxtaposing between Sophie in her childhood and Sophie as an adult (played by Celia Rowlson-Hall) as she watches camcorder footage from her Turkey trip.

The film's masterwork lies in the layered naturalism of the leading performances from Frankie Corio as young Sophie and Paul Mescal, who earned his first career Oscar nomination for his work, as Calum. Mescal conveys a wave of raw authenticity even with just his expressive face. His performance breaks one's heart in a way viewers are accustomed to him doing, and the film uses "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie in a casual dance scene that goes back and forth between the two of them in Turkey and Calum and adult Sophie on the dream rave.

The theme of reconciling with who a person was or may have been is similarly present in Sophy Romvari's 'Blue Heron' (2026), a semi-autobiographical tale involving a Hungarian immigrant family settling in Canada in the late 1990s. The film follows the life of protagonist Sasha from her childhood as an eight-year-old (played by Eylul Guven) to when she revisits her old home as an adult (played by Amy Zimmer).

When young Sasha observes her older brother Jeremy (Edik Beddoes) demonstrate self-destructive behavior in the film's first half, the second half involves Sasha dealing with the aftermath years later, believing that as difficult as life may have been living with him, Jeremy is still her brother. As Sasha attempts to attain the catharsis and resolution she never had with Jeremy, the film dabbles into slight surrealist territory even as the film's cast of relative unknowns and humanist storytelling maintain its naturalism feel.

Both films deal with the theme of reconciling with loved ones and the fragile nature of memory. If you're not in too good a mood and/or want to watch gems from emerging filmmaking voices, why not watch both films and make it a double feature?