Written and directed by Christian Petzold, a group of friends in a holiday home by the Baltic Sea where emotions run high as the parched forest around them catches fire. Starring: Thomas Schubert, Paula Beer, Enno Trebs, Langston Uibel and Matthias Brandt.
If you were to have a conversation about the most consistent directors today, whether it be directorial style, tone, quality and the intriguing or compelling nature of their stories, Christian Petzold should be on the list. Since 2007’s Yella, Petzold has made film after film with fascinating characters and stories layered with complexity and nicely messy emotions. Afireis another great example of those qualities, it follows an unusual pattern, its characters aren’t inherently likable, it takes time to get to know them and moves at its own speed.
One thing that Petzold is particularly good at is sparking your curiosity and delivering unexpected emotional blows. Those two things are enhanced by always picking locations which offer pensive and expansive visuals, in this case it’s off to the beach. On top of that you have the tension which comes from the looming wildfires, the atmosphere is dense and rife with potential. The direction moves with a great fluidity, every aspect of the visual is thoughtful and it creates a winding road for the characters to follow.
Choosing Leon (Thomas Schubert) to lead the way down that road was an interesting choice, he’s filled with contempt, envy and the typical writer blend of self-importance and imposter syndrome. Schubert does a wonderful job of capturing those antagonistic qualities while never making him feel unsympathetic, he provokes the other characters and nudges them into discomfort which makes for good viewing.
Petzold regular Paula Beer gives yet another terrific, charming performance, she’s such a magnetic presence and has a unique skill for creating a kind, mysterious feel to her characters. She manages to hit a superb note of Nadja holding back while being completely open, it’s impressive and captivating to watch.
Afire is the type of film that slowly creeps under your skin, you may even underestimate it until it hits you with a beautiful emotional note and you realise its hold on you. It very purposefully takes its time to warm up, it moves with elegance and consideration. The characters are a hugely varied mix and it’s entertaining to watch their personalities collide, building an unexpected tension which arrives in multiple forms.
The complex relationship that Schubert and Beer build has such a surprising weight to it, it’s neither friendship nor romance but some form of hybrid that goes deeper. Simply put, Petzold keeps his winning streak going with another strong, engaging, funny yet sad drama.
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