AFTERSUN

Leaving home and burying a parent are the big moments that define the lives of parents and children, alike. However, there are many other occasions in life that are every bit as momentous, even if we cannot appreciate their importance in the moment. That is the message the filmmaker Charlotte Wells weaves into her beautiful new film, "Aftersun."

At face value, the film is a story about a father and daughter, who are from Scotland, on holiday in Turkey. Their activities are mostly banal things that many people do on vacation - go out to eat, site see, lounge at the pool. The main characters take turns recording some of these moments with a camcorder, alerting us to the fact that our story takes places in the not-to-distant past. 

What we do not realize is just how big an impact these small moments and the memory of that trip will have on one of the main characters. That is because we lack the context of this trip until very late in the movie. In that sense, this film is like life: it is best understood backwards but must be lived forwards. 

"Aftersun" felt like a clarion call to not lose sight of the many quotidian moments in life that have the potential to be every bit as momentous as events that appear to be more dramatic. The key is to live in the present and not dwell on the past because none of us knows what the future may bring. I hope I can remember these lessons in the days and years to come and savor every moment - especially with my own children.