Le ciel rouge

The actor Thomas Schubert deserves much of the credit for making "Afire" work as well as it does.

He plays a self-absorbed, petty, insecure writer who's so myopically obsessed with the book he's writing that he's oblivious to the world around him. In other hands, it would be a big ask of the audience to spend two hours with such a tiring character, especially since he's in virtually every scene of the movie. But Schubert is able to make this character not only tolerable, but relatable. We're all guilty of missing the bigger picture because of our individual preoccupations.

The ending of "Afire" feels a bit overly dramatic. It's like something that would feel right at home in one of those Southern gothic plays by Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neill. But I did enjoy the irony of its conclusion -- once our main character starts paying attention to the trauma around him, it's something he uses to write better books.

Grade: A.

"Leon" (Thomas Schubert) and his friend "Felix" (Langston Uibel) head to a remote rural cottage near the Baltic coast so the former man can put the finishing touches to his novel before a visit from his publisher (Matthias Brandt). They arrive, though, and discover that "Nadja" (Paula Beer) is already staying - and this upsets the apple cart a bit. "Leon" quickly becomes obsessed - and that only gets worse when her nocturnal activities with life guard "Devid" (Enno Trebs) and some wafer thin walls force him to sleep in the garden amongst the mosquitoes. What now ensues is quite an intricately constructed observational presentation that looks at the evolving dynamic between the four - and it doesn't pan out as you might expect, especially once it becomes clear that his latest literary work is nobody's idea of a magnum opus. The characterisations here have a fluidity to them that makes for quite an interesting watch. None of them could ever be described as beautiful - in any classical sense - so the story is much more about their traits, flaws and foibles than about their looks. That works up to a point, but there was too much missing from the puzzle for me to really find myself engaged with any of them. The last twenty minutes - set amidst some lethal forest fires - was rushed and seemed to me indicative that "Leon" wasn't the only one who'd suffered from a writer's block! The photography is effectively intimate at times but at other times we see just too many shots walking to and from the beach (and the constant buzzing of the mozzies got on my nerves a bit, too, after a while!). I did quite enjoy this, but somehow it just lacked substance before a conclusion that just seemed to be unnecessarily ghastly. Give it a go, though...

Leon and Felix, two young men with work to do, head to a family cottage to complete their tasks. But a beautiful interloper upsets their plans.

It's a familiar set up, given a memorable outing in Lynn Shelton's 'Your Sister's Sister.' The remote setting, the unexpected third wheel, sexual tension, secrets and lies - all the familiar elements are here. There is lots to admire about Afire, most notably the performances from Paul Beer as Nadja, Langston Uibel as Felix, Enno Trebs as Devid and Matthias Brandt as Helmut, a character who arrives late but has a very interesting narrative arc. Ultimately, however, the film fails to deliver a satisfying emotional climax. The tension between Leon and Nadja seems forced, resulting from some unpolished plot manoeuvres. Why does Nadja not reveal her literary background? How can she just 'turn up' in the bedroom with Leon? The main misfire, however, is the casting of Thomas Schubert as Leon. He just never convinces as tortured writer, a character type exemplified by Paul Giamatti in Sideways. It is a puzzling error, given that the other characters are so well cast.

The sound design also slightly annoys by making the buzzing of insects prominent. It is presumably done to put us 'inside' of Leon's discomfort, but it is merely irritating.

The ending felt like it was missing a layer. The turnaround in Leon's fortunes is a nice touch, but I expected to hear that his story was pure fiction inspired by the events, and that the tragedy he relays in his prose had not, in fact, taken place. But the script did not take that step, and that feels like a missed opportunity. Leon is more interested in rekindling a romance than grieving for a friend, and that made me dislike him.

There are many good elements here. Nadja is intriguing and likable, and the romance that blossoms between two characters was unexpected and surprising. The approaching fire is a nice literal and figurative touch. Afire is worth checking out, but it feels like is could have been so much more than it is.

This had potential, there is a good movie inside this movie, just not the one i watched.

It's like this movie has a beginning and an end but not anything in between. This want to be a "character study" but there is not a smooth transition in this leading character's development: He is always immature and suddenly he supposedly has an epiphany. There is no chemistry between him and Nadja, are we suppose to believe that she is attracted to him? Why? How? And the ending is just lazy writing. Symbolisms are naive. And it's "easy". Big events are easy. A more lowkey approach would be better.

Having said that, this is a somewhat good slowburn drama, not a "heavy" drama, neither a comedy as it labelled. I loved the song. Kinda interesting, some intense moments, subtle and well acted. As another reviewer mentioned, "That works up to a point, but there was too much missing from the puzzle for me to really find myself engaged with any of them".

Director Christian Petzold (PHOENIX, TRANSIT) appears to be in a slightly different mode at first with his latest, AFIRE. Four people gather at a seemingly idyllic summer retreat in the Baltics.

The home is owned by the family of Felix (Langston Uibel). He and his friend Leon (Thomas Schubert) discover that a young woman has sublet a bedroom as well, Nadja (played by Petzhold regular, Paula Beer). A local lifeguard Deved (Enno Trebs) completes the quartet. Leon is there to work on a rewrite of his novel, while Felix is completing a portfolio of photographs.

Petzold has said that he found inspiration in the work of Eric Rohmer and one can certainly see the influence as the characters go through their paces and engage in barbed conversations and behaviors. The original German title translates roughly as 'Red Skies' and refers to the crimson glow from nearby forest fires in the region.

Petzold's script takes a bit to come into focus and is impeded by the character of Leon, a petulant sort who is neither sympathetic nor particular interesting for much of the action. Schubert's performance similarly is off-putting at first and never quite makes him worthy of much investment. Fortunately, Beer is her dependable self and keeps the film moving along, all the while revealing layers of her character. Uibel and Trebs are fine as is Matthias Brandt as Leon's literary editor.

AFIRE has an appropriate denouement (if a bit on the nose) and Petzhold delivers one last mischievous wink to the viewer.