Roter Himmel

This is an absolute gem of a film. I hadn't done my homework - just ticked it a as good option to see in the NZ International Film Festival, but I was hooked form the opening scenes. It's a subtle, beautifully played film, based around a young writer (Leon) who is struggling to put the finishing touches to a novel, while staying at what is turning out to be the holiday home from hell. Leon is his own worst enemy, always makes the wrong choice, and then beats himself up about it. There is a sinister backdrop to the story, and an unsettling tonal shift toward the end - but that's life, right? Despite the dark undercurrent that gradually emerges, the film is also very funny, and therefore works on more than one level - as a study of human behaviour but also as pure entertainment. I loved this film, and I highly recommend it.

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 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.

It's fair to say, there's no inferno or great blaze, and there's a good chance half way through, your eyes might start to glaze, the meandering's quite slow, although there is a subtle glow, but it struggles to compete with perpetual malaise. The perspective needs your mind to persevere, for reflections to emerge and re-adhere, consider landscapes past and present, how they change, evolve and ferment, locking horns with dread, anxiety and fears. The performances are fine, there is intent, although poor Leon is in permanent descent, lacks a flicker and a spark, you wouldn't say he is a lark, one of those people you might call, quite malcontent.

In interviews director Christian Petzold gave in connection with the release of "Roter Himmel" he said that he was inspired by French summer / coming of age films from for example Eric Rohmer. According to Petzold this type of film had disappeared out of German cinema since "Menschen am Sonntag" (1930, Robert Siodmak, Edgar Ulmer and Rochus Gliese). "Roter Himmel" is indeed situated during summer, but that is where any comparison ends. The beginning of "Roter Himmel" is much more a parody on the American style coming of age films such as "The cabin in the woods" (2011, Drew Goddard) with a car breaking down in the woods and creepy animal noices thereafter.

"Barbara" (2012, Christian Petzold) was still an explicit political movie about living in the DDR. Since then the films of Petzold have remained socially concerned but have become more abstract. In "Undine" (2020) a water nymph symbolizes the element of water. In "Roter Himmel" forest fires sumbolizes the element of fire. It looks like Petzold has begun a series about the elements, just like Krzysztof Kieslowski made a series about the ideals of the French revolution in the 90's. We are looking forward to the next film.

Forst fires are unfortunately very actual in the summer of 2023. However these fires are not the main theme of the film. "Roter Himmel" is not an eco-drama. They remain on the background, at least that is what we and the characters in the film belief for (too) long.

The main character of the film is Leon (Thomas Schubert), a writer writing his second book and desperately trying to match the success of his first novel. He wraps his uncertainty in a cloak of arrogance and self esteem and in so doing gets estranged from the people around him. These people are for him more an obstacle for working undisturbed than a source of inspiration. When they go for a swim he always says that his work doesn't allow him to join them, only to waste his time when they are gone.

An important moment in the film comes when the publisher of Leon meets him to discuss the progress of his work. He doesn't like the manuscript, but he is very interested in what the people around Leon are doing. Will Leon's eyes finally open?