This article contains references to suicide.
Calum and Sophie’s dance to “Under Pressure” is one of the most heartwarming moments in Aftersun, but the scene has a much deeper meaning that’s not so heartwarming. Released in 2022, Aftersun revolves around a single father named Calum taking his 11-year-old daughter Sophie to a Turkish resort on the eve of his 31st birthday. It’s the movie that put Paul Mescal on the map, earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and established Frankie Corio as an unexpected breakout star. It also introduced debut director Charlotte Wells as one of the most exciting new voices in filmmaking.
There are plenty of memorable musical moments in the Aftersun soundtrack, like when Sophie gets the other tourists in the tour group to sing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” to Calum for his birthday, or when Calum makes Sophie sing “Losing My Religion” alone at a karaoke night. But one scene that stands out as truly special arrives on the last night of Calum and Sophie’s holiday as they dance to “Under Pressure” in a heartfelt embrace. It’s a really uplifting scene, but it has a haunting deeper meaning that makes Aftersun a much richer (and more devastating) film.
Dancing To “Under Pressure” Is The Last Happy Memory Sophie Has Of Calum
Calum Left His Daughter With One Last Fond Memory
On the last night of their vacation, David Bowie and Queen’s collaborative effort “Under Pressure” plays on the resort’s dancefloor and Calum and Sophie share a dance. Calum previously refused to join Sophie on stage at the karaoke night to sing R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” but here, he indulges her. The trip had some ups and downs, but on the dancefloor together, Calum and Sophie have the time of their lives. This isn’t just the last happy memory that Sophie has from the holiday; it’s implied that it’s the last happy memory that Sophie has of her father altogether.
Aftersun was named the best film of 2022 in Sight and Sound’s end-of-year poll.
Throughout the film, Calum never outright tells the audience he’s depressed, but it’s heavily insinuated. He tells the diving instructor he doesn’t expect to make it to 40 and he’s surprised he even made it to 30. After leaving Sophie alone at the karaoke night, Calum is seen walking into the ocean in the middle of the night. When Sophie returns to the room, it’s full of scrawled notes (presumably drafts of a suicide note). The “Under Pressure” scene is so important because it’s implied to be Sophie’s last happy memory of her dad before he took his own life.
The Real Meaning Of Adult Sophie’s “Under Pressure” Strobe Light Visions In Aftersun
The Nightclub Scenes Symbolize Sophie’s Failed Attempts To Reach Out To Calum
All throughout the movie, the ‘90s-set vacation storyline is interspersed with dream-like cutaways to a crowded rave, seemingly in the present day, where an adult Sophie is dancing. Under the strobe lights, she catches glimpses of Calum dancing amongst the crowd. As she tries to get closer to him, she keeps getting pushed away. When she finally reaches him, the two embrace, but he quickly slips out of her grasp. Initially, it seems as though these might be real scenes showing just how estranged Sophie and Calum became later in life.
Her attempts to reach out to him and ultimately being unable to are symbolic of her attempts to reach out to him emotionally.
Sophie seems to be poring through the footage of their Turkish holiday to figure out how her father became so distant. However, by the end of Aftersun, it’s clear that these rave sequences are all in Sophie’s head as she tries to figure out why her dad took his own life right after they shared a wonderful holiday together. Her attempts to reach out to him and ultimately being unable to are symbolic of her attempts to reach out to him emotionally: Sophie tried getting through to Calum on their vacation, but he was too closed-off to let her in.
How The Lyrics Of “Under Pressure” Connect To Sophie & Calum’s Relationship
“Splits A Family In Two”
Wells didn’t pick “Under Pressure” at random; the song has a strong lyrical connection to the themes of the story. The song is all about growing up, leaving behind childhood innocence, and facing the harsh truths of the real world, and that’s what Sophie’s coming-of-age story is all about in Aftersun. Sophie’s vacation with her dad in Turkey marked the last time that she would get to be a naive, innocent kid. Right after that vacation, her dad would take his own life and introduce her to the horrors of reality.
The “pressure” that the lyrics constantly refer to has a link to the financial pressure that Calum is under, and the unbearable pressure of suffering from depression. The song mentions that this pressure “splits a family in two,” which refers to the rift that Calum’s mental health struggles create between himself and his daughter.
Likewise, the lyrics “Can’t we give ourselves one more chance? / Why can’t we give love that one more chance?” refer to this final memory the father and daughter share together on the dance floor, which is Calum’s last chance to show his daughter that he loves her. The line “turned away from it all like a blind man” also reflects Sophie not seeing what her father was struggling with, either out of an unwillingness to accept or just being too young to understand, only to look back on the vacation much later and see the truth.
The Song Also Connects To The Film’s Themes
“Under Pressure” Hides The Sadness In Plain Sight
Outside of the lyrics, the entire song of “Under Pressure” can be seen as connecting to the themes of Aftersun in a powerful way. The song discusses the overwhelming sense of pressure that leads to feelings of despair which mirrors the things that Calum is battling. However, the movie presents it with a lively and even happy melody that seems to hide the sadness of the lyrics. This mirrors Calum trying to hide his depression from Sophie. Indeed, the fact that it is a song they happily dance to shows how people can fail to see the despair in people.
However, the song is also about relationships and people having compᴀssion for one another. There are moments of sadness and pain between Calum and Sophie while they are on vacation, but it is also a memory of love. Their dance together shows how happy human connection can make people feel, even if it is a fleeting thing. Much like Aftersun‘s story, “Under Pressure” is a song that becomes more tragic the more you reflect on it.
