Soundtrack

Scottish writer-director Charlotte Wells lights up Cannes Critics’ Week with Aftersun , the absorbing story of an 11-year-old going on holiday with her father. Paul Mescal ( Normal People, The Lost Daughter ) stars alongside Francesca Corio in a terrific two-hander with engaging supporting performances. Shot on location in Turkey, the film is partly a comedy-drama about a package holiday, but also a meditation on memories of a father with mental health problems. The young Sophie (Corio) is clearly happy to be spending time with her dad. Mescal is playing slightly older than his 26 years, but it’s still suggested that he had a child too young. People assume they’re brother and sister; he doesn’t want to hang out with other parents because they’re too old. Separated from Sophie’s mother, he does his best to show his daughter a good time, but there are limits to the local attractions for this slightly odd couple. There’s swimming in the pool, mocktails in a shisha café and one … [Read more...] about Cannes Review: Paul Mescal In Charlotte Wells’ ‘Aftersun’

Harry Styles knows how to make you feel right at home. Harry’s House , his third and best album, gives a welcoming pop vibe. Harry’s House is a place where he invites you in, sits you down in the kitchen, cooks you pancakes and hash browns, opens a bottle of wine, serves bubblegum and edibles, then whisks you out to the garden to listen to your whole life story. It’s an idyllic place to spend an hour. But the centerpiece of the album is “Matilda,” a real heartbreaker, an acoustic-guitar ballad about someone learning how to build a new life after a traumatic past. It’s a new peak for Harry—one of the most emotionally powerful songs he’s ever done. He wrote “Matilda” with Amy Allen (who also cowrote “Adore You”) along with his trusty collaborators Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon. It comes halfway through the album, surrounded by glam-pop gloss—a deep breath of a song. He listens to Matilda tell this painful story, responding, “ You don’t have to be sorry for leaving … [Read more...] about ‘You Can Let It Go’: Why Harry Styles’ ‘Matilda’ Is His Heartbreak Masterpiece