Aspiring writer Leon and his more relaxed aspiring art student friend Felix arrive at the latter’s mother’s summer cottage on the Baltic coast. Both have demanding tasks ahead: Leon is preparing a book for a meeting with his editor, and Felix is putting together a photo portfolio for his entrance exams. They are warned about the forest fires raging around them, which have emptied the nearby tourist town, but the duo remains unfazed.
Leon and Felix soon discover they are sharing the house with Nadja (played by director Christian Petzold’s muse Paula Beer) and her lifeguard boyfriend Devid. The thin walls of the house initially cause friction among the group. Soon Leon develops a crush on Nadja, Felix grows closer to Devid, and ash rains down on the yard.
Christian Petzold’s new film Afire, awarded at the Berlin Film Festival, is a Rohmerian tragicomedy about a web of relationships. Petzold masterfully handles shifts in atmosphere as the flames encroach ever closer around the characters. The film explores the themes of artistry and drawing from real life in a humorously engaging way, particularly through Leon’s character, who takes himself too seriously.
Inari Ylinen