A Dive into the Realm of the Unseen ‘Others’
Christian Petzold’s creation, “Afire” (Roter Himmel), showcased at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale 2023) and honored with the Grand Jury Prize, delves into the lives of ‘others’ disconnected from the ‘outside.’ This character-centric film takes us on a profound journey into the lives of four individuals with vastly different backgrounds. Unlike French director Just Philippot’s recent films, which heavily emphasize the “climate change catastrophe,” Petzold subtly weaves this theme into the backdrop of the narrative. While climate change does create a contextual linkage in the film’s composition, it’s not the central focus of the storyline. Instead, the diverse perspectives of the characters take precedence, indicating an externalization experience crafted by the director.
The Objective Threat of an Inner Inferno
From the moment the narrative unfolds, accompanied by Wallners’ “In My Mind,” a song hinting at the definite loss of otherness, the characters find themselves ensnared within an undirected space. Leon’s (Thomas Schubert) otherness, fundamentally shaping his existence, erects an invisible dwelling within the seaside vacation home portrayed in the film. In the initial sequences, Felix’s (Langston Uibel) expression of sensing something happening but being unable to perceive anything draws attention to today’s abstract notion of white blindness. Petzold tactfully refrains from overtly thrusting the inevitable climate crisis onto the audience. Instead, he employs elements tethered to causality within the narrative structure. Consequently, a semblance of cause-and-effect persists in the film. The planes soaring overhead, the rustling of branches, the ash rains signify not the advent of a new place but a perpetual representation of the same world within Afire.
Exiled from their Own Grounds
Addressing a fundamental threat to contemporary human existence, the film, through three narrative strands, also highlights the transience of human thoughts. The characters’ daily apprehension of the fear of fire becomes evident, forming the initial narrative strand. As the film progresses into the characters’ personal lives, the concept of fire transforms into an anticipated eventuality. Similar to the inability to foresee an illness, the existence of fire constantly looms over each character throughout the film. Lastly, owing to Leon’s literary aspect, the film becomes segmented in its narrative style. While fire serves as an object within the narrative, it neither resides within nor outside the storytelling but stands as the singular point of convergence for everyone involved.
Dancing Death with a Midsummer Night’s Dream
Paula Beer, often seen in Christian Petzold’s films, embodies the character Nadja in Afire. Nadja’s presence renders the emergence of the inexplicable, unspoken elements inherent in the narrative nearly impossible. Thus, the film retains a positively infinite aspect until its conclusion, safeguarded by Pandora’s Box. Petzold, in this regard, employs the character of Nadja as a paragraph within his composition. Within the confines she perennially draws, the connection between Leon and Nadja becomes a step in his attempt to externalize his own existence. This duo’s weight in the film alleviates the deathly dance orchestrated by the climate crisis. Leon’s crisis in his creative domain gently smoothes the flow of life within the composition. The subjective voice of the character nullifies the form of the climate crisis in a manner that doesn’t negatively impact its essence but rather abstracts it symbolically.
The Virginal Attire of Fear
Playing a game between the seen and the unseen through the character of Nadja, Petzold intriguingly sustains this game until the film’s conclusion, creating a semblance of a false infinite loop within the narrative flow. Nadja’s transformation from an “other” in Leon’s eyes into something akin to “Different” highlights pivotal details that disrupt the integrity of the character. Crafting an existential drama model, Petzold navigates familiar storytelling realms with Afire while expanding the boundaries in character creation. By steering character development through contemplations directed at the film’s object, Petzold converts the notion of “danger” into a false sensory object. Refusing to wholly embrace all dystopian elements in its composition, Afire leans toward drama and comedy genres, sprinkling anticipated dystopian features in fragmented segments throughout the film. Oscillating between twilight and various shades of blue, the film, at times, nods to Petzold’s previous work, evoking the spirit of the Undine legend while imbuing loneliness with a newfound character, drizzling an ash rain over a lost slumber.
afire Christian Petzold comedy drama movies reviews romance Thomas Schubert
Last modified: January 23, 2024
