Abundant with lush summer imageries and unspoken declaration of want, ‘Afternoon Sun’ provides a little treat for those craving summer romances.
Carlo is washing dishes in a tight-spaced kitchen. All one can hear is the sound of the running faucet as the boy rinses the dirt from the plates. He is standing with his back in the shot. Mateus comes into the room and slowly goes near him. He gently touches Carlo’s back as he beckons him to move aside so he can maneuver himself underneath the sink and take out the trash. Carlo stops his actions to look downwards at Mateus, all of his attention now on him. It takes a minute for Mateus to finish but Carlo doesn’t mind, taking in all of him as if he is recording his every action in his memory. As Mateus leaves the room, Carlo steals a longing glance. Knowing that no one is there to witness the weight of it, he lets it show. As Mateus walks outside the house, he peers through the window following Mateus every step, testing how far he can see him within his sight.
The scene cuts to a sunny afternoon in Portugal. The imagery is vibrant. Wet bathing suits and swim shorts are hanging on a stool, a sign of bodies previously lounging in a pool. Blankets are laid down on the grass with clothes smeared on top basking in the lush heat of the sun. The volleyball is left alone now, given permission to rest after being used to release some pent-up energy. The shadow of dancing leaves peeks through the grass, a reminder of the sun’s looming presence.
Carlo lies on the cool hardwood floors of the house with earphones stuck to his ears. He is accompanied by music the audience cannot hear, his fingers dancing to the beat of the sound flowing from his device to his body.
His solitary ends when Mateus prances in the room opposite his with a girl in tow. The dance looks familiar. Mateus and the girl share flirty looks as they stumble their way inside the room, opening the door clumsily, hands everywhere. Carlo looks at the door that is just freshly slammed and listens to the sounds from Mateus that seep through the hinges and cracks of the door that separate him from the object of his desires.
The scene moves forward to Carlo walking towards the kitchen to get himself a drink. The heat oozes through everything. Sweat is if not the main character of the story. Its presence is felt everywhere. The girl that Mateus has been with is seen lying on the bed. When Carlo comes back to his room, he sits down at his work table that is framed directly between the sight of the girl and Mateus who is now sitting outside on the edge of the pool.
The window showcases the billowing leaves pushed by the wind that provide relief from the summer heat. Carlo is now shown lying down on the floor again but the planes of his stomach are zoomed in, every strand of hair visible, the smoothness of it clear. His hand curiously travels from his torso downwards as if on a mission to seek some relief.
Cut to the next scene, the girl is shown lying next to Carlo outside in one of the beach chairs. While the girl looks calm and at ease, Carlo looks dejected. He looks at the floor beneath the chairs and after a little while stands up to go somewhere else. After, a shot of the pool is seen again showing how the light refracts in the water. The stillness is disturbed as Carlo floats through it.
When the night comes to cut the summer daze, Carlo is pictured lying down on one of the benches of the pool area, darkness enveloping him. In the nearest light post, a swarm of flies surrounds the source of light.
