Paul Mescal’s rise from sausage adverts to Oscar nominee is one of the most remarkable stories in recent cinema, and right now one of his most beloved films is available to stream on Netflix. Born in Dublin, Mescal burst onto screens in 2020 with his breakthrough role in the BBC drama NORMAL PEOPLE, a pandemic-era sensation that saw audiences fall helplessly in love with his and Daisy Edgar-Jones’ devastating romance, adapted from Sally Rooney’s novel. But it’s his work in AFTERSUN that has left viewers shattered in the best possible way, with fans consistently calling it one of the saddest films ever made.

Directed by Charlotte Wells in a stunning feature debut, AFTERSUN casts Mescal alongside the remarkable Frankie Corio as a young father and his eleven-year-old daughter on a sun-soaked holiday at a Turkish resort, the trip falling on the eve of his character Calum’s 31st birthday. Loosely drawn from Wells’ own childhood, the film is told largely through the daughter’s eyes — and through a child’s gaze, there is warmth, laughter and the particular magic of a rare holiday abroad. Yet from the very first frame, something is quietly, unmistakably wrong with Calum. A child may not fully see it, but the audience does.

What makes AFTERSUN so extraordinary is how much it holds back. It is quiet, patient and restrained, building with an almost unbearable tenderness toward an ending that stays with you long after the screen goes dark. Mescal and Corio share a chemistry that feels completely lived-in and real, the love between their characters radiating through every scene. Slow-burn films can test your patience, but AFTERSUN earns every second of its stillness — and the payoff is the kind that leaves audiences stunned, devastated and desperate to talk about it with anyone who will listen. If you haven’t seen it yet, now is the time.