Enno Trebs and Paula Beer in Afire [Christian Schulz]

AFIRE
Directed by Christian Petzold
Certificate: 15
☆☆☆☆

AFIRE begins with a red herring of an opening plot line that is well-worn. Leads Leon (Thomas Schubert)) and Felix (Langston Uibel) are driving through a forest. Their car breaks down and they have a long walk, laden down with bags, to find Felix’s family holiday home.

The atmosphere of something lurking behind each tree switches from the supernatural sounds of the forest, prompted by Leon’s overactive imagination, to the very real horror of wild fires.

When they arrive, they discover they are not alone – friend of the family Nadja (Paula Beer) is staying, and their introduction is to note the domestic mess she leaves and hearing her and her boyfriend Devid having sex.

It doesn’t bother Felix – the sex and the mess intrigues him. But for Leon, having someone happy in close proximity is infuriating. Leon is a writer and is struggling with a difficult second novel. Felix too has a project in mind – creating a photographic portfolio to apply for art college.

But while Leon frets and twitches, the creative process a strain and Nadja a tantalising distraction, Felix wants to swim, relax, do some DIY, eat nice food – and sleep with Nadja’s hunky lifeguard boyfriend, Devid.

Leon admires Nadja from afar, and her carefree lifestyle is a frustrating antithesis to his own. He prickles at the slightest perceived jibe, revelling in his artistic misery.

The dynamics between the foursome are fascinatingly played out, and all the while with the backdrop of a huge fire heading their way. It sets a scene of bucolic idyll – but Leon cannot keep the real world out, be it in the form of his turgid writing, his unsatisfactory friendship with Felix, its boundaries are never made clear – or the blaze creeping ever closer to their front door.

Petzold has created a complex story. He does not seek to spoonfeed and loads it with enough surprises to move the story away from a character study of a stilted artist struggling with their craft.