Fire Will Come

I’m with Diane on this fascinating movie that feels like two films spliced together. While the inevitable fire provides some rather compelling filmmaking, it’s first half of FIRE WILL COME that captivated me. Not a whole lot happens, a man, imprisoned for a couple of years for allegedly starting a fire that burnt down much of the forest, and part of the village where the film takes place, returns to live with his mother for a while. Together they sit out by the forest and discuss the invasive eucalyptus trees, tend to their cows, shelter in giant tree trunks from the rain, snd maybe flirt a little with the local vet. It’s a quiet look at life and perhaps trying to earn a little redemption. Sadly that inevitable fire disrupts everything. I too was captivated by Benedicta Sanchez as apparently was much of Cannes. Her open face and matter of fact demeanor created a compelling character.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the mesmerizing opening scenes of the film Starting off silently, in darkness, the image slowly comes into focus as tall treetops of a large swath of pines. What happens next could have come straight out of a kaiju film as the treetops begin to sway then topple like broken twigs under silent assault by what must surely be some gargantuan beast. As sound and more image becomes evident it’s clear that what we’re looking at is the endless struggle between man and nature, which ends is a seeming stalemate, ending a prologue whose connection to the main story is still a little mysterious. 4 cats