Afire (#455)


I saw AFIRE, a German film, in the screening room of a small movie theater in Pelham, New York.  What was surprising about the screening room was it had about 25 seats and they all were beautiful reclining chairs. It was an interesting film that dwelt on the relationships of a few people in a vacation house in a forest adjacent to the Baltic Sea.  Two men are en route to this house and the car breaks down prior to their arrival. The house is owned by the father of one man, Felix, and they are surprised to find the house already mysteriously occupied  by an attractive young woman, Nadia.  Felix is there to create a photographic portfolio required for his application to art school.  Leon, his companion, is a novelist working on his latest manuscript.  Leon is obviously smitten with Nadia but is too inept and self-absorbed to do anything.  His agent or editor arrives to discuss progress on his latest work and in the midst of all the interaction, a devastating forest fire breaks out with interesting consequences.  Despite being uncomfortable with the character of Leon, I liked the film because it was well acted and wasn’t bogged down with weighty dialogue, overly complicated characters and events.  Critics liked it with a 90% thumbs up; audiences not as much with 64% approval.





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