By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Christian Petzold
Starring: Enno Trebs | Langston Uibel | Matthias Brandt | Paula Beer | Thomas Schubert
Original language title: Roter Himmel
Year: 2023
Running time: 102
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26440619/reference/
Chris says: “Two young Berliners, Leon (Thomas Schubert), a writer struggling to finish his novel and his friend Felix (Langston Uibel), a photographer, take a trip to a cabin in the woods near the Baltic Sea owned by Felix’s mother. Upon arrival, they discover the cabin’s already been rented to Nadja (Paula Beer), whom they first hear having loud sex in the other bedroom with Devid (Enno Trebs), a hunky lifeguard. As they all get to know each other, Leon’s the only one of the four not having much fun. Easily irritated and often unable to see what’s going on (even when—especially when it’s apparent to everyone else including the viewer), he’s fixated on his book. Meanwhile, persistent wildfires threaten to spread closer to their neck of the woods.
Purportedly the second film in a loose trilogy from writer/director Christian Petzold beginning with 2020’s UNDINE, this seemingly has little in common with it apart from casting some of the same actors (most notably Beer.) Obviously, this is a ‘fire’ film whereas UNDINE was a ‘water’ film; however, while the earlier film had some humor threaded throughout its sci-fi/magical realism frame, this one might be Petzold’s most explicitly comedic effort to date. Schubert’s Leon is a bumbling, near-exasperating protagonist, but still a protagonist because he ultimately has a good heart (even if his self-sabotaging behavior often obscures this nature.) His chemistry with Beer is palpable as well, even when it feels like they’re sparring partners. Actually, the whole ensemble is strong, with Uibel and Trebs evolving from second chorus members to the leads in their own story. Matthias Brandt rounds out the cast late in the film as Leon’s older, long-suffering (in multiple senses of the word) editor.
“Apart from some ambiguous roughhousing between Leon and Felix, AFIRE starts off unassumingly, slowly building its relationships and character arcs as the wildfires remain a background threat heard about but only seen via glowing, burnished, distant skies. Like those fires, it’s a slow burn until, all at once, it encompasses everything in its path with dire consequences for some and narrow escapes for others. It’s reminiscent of a Gary Shteyngart novel in that it’s expertly constructed, caustically funny and in the end, tinged with tragedy and the possibility of transformation. Petzold’s built up a noteworthy filmography since 2012’s BARBARA and AFIRE is a dazzling addition to it. 4.5 cats
Michael says: “AFIRE was the film I was most excited about coming into the IFFBOSTON, and thankfully it didn’t let me down. I was a little late to jump on the Petzold bandwagon compared to a few of my fellow Chlotrudis members, only discovering his work after the release of his previous film, UNDINE, then going back to his earlier work during the pandemic, but now I m fully committed, and AFIRE is a terrific addition to his body of work. Petzold as created subtly remarkable film about perception, both of self and others, through the eyes of a writer struggling with his latest novel.