QUICK’N DIRTY: LIVE FROM THE RED SEA
There are ca. 1,500 potentially active volcanoes in the world. Fifty to 70 of them erupt every year, and that’s about one eruption a week. And there are no coincidences in the universe. Yet, every time Bethany (world-famous British singer Charlie XCX), a British girl about to be engaged to Rob (American actor Will Madden), meets Polish florist Nel (Lena Góra), a volcano erupts.
Rob’s original plan was to propose to Bethany during a romantic trip to Paris, but she suggested Warsaw instead. That’s probably not the most romantic city in the world, but at least it’s where Nel lives. We know right away that Nel and Bethany have some history, but it’s never clear what kind of relationship they’ve had. But we do know it was explosive, hence the film title (the Polish word for “eruption”). Bethany feels jaded with Rob. “He’s nice, but nice can be boring”, as she says at one point. Nel is exciting in her own independent way. Withher, “the earth moves and volcanoes erupt”. This is a movie about fluid human connections or. Zygmunt Bauman’s definition of “liquid love”.
On their second day in Warsaw, the Etna erupts, and the not-so-happy couple is stranded in the city for a couple of extra days. They go out for sushi at a Japanese restaurant. This where they meet Claude (Jeremy O. Harris), a bohemian American artist in search of inspiration for his paintings in Poland. He invites the couple for a party at his studio. Rob is reluctant – he wanted to propose that evening – but Bethany accepts the invitation immediately. They agree to going to the social gathering, followed by a visit to a Michelin-starred restaurant. When they arrive at the event, the first person Bethany sees is Nel. There are no coincidences. Bethany immediately re-connects with Nel and completely forgets about Rob. The two girls embark on a drug-fuelled clubbing adventure. Rob gets soaking wet in the rain, and goes back to their Air=bnb on his own. Then another eruption strikes.
Nel also has some personal baggage. She has a previous – maybe still ongoing? – relationship with Ula (Agata Trzebuchowska). Framed pictures of the two of the two l0vebirds stand o Nel’s living room. Their story will be the only one to have some sort sort of a closure. The largely open ending will leave audiences to make their own decisions.
Director and writer Ohs made some interesting aesthetic and creative choices. The movie mixes realistic acting and improvisation with tinted footage of volcano eruptions. The indie aesthetic tips to hat to Jim Jarmusch or perhaps John Cassavetes. . The four main actors collaborated with the script. The looseness of the story mirrors the vagueness of the character feelings.
It is visible that this is Charli XCX’s first acting job . She is also credited as a co-writer and exec producer. Calling her a good actor would be a bit of a stretch, but she’s certainly spontaneous and charismatic. Bethany seems emotionally lost most of the time, and Charlie appears to relate to that. Góra does a great job bringing some depth and mystery to Nel, while Madden succeeds at making “boring” Rob a likeable guy working hard to fit in. Harris brings his charms and charisma to an otherwise little developed character,
Unabashed in its freeform approach, Erupcja is a sexy love letter to Warsaw. That’s the city where Ohs chose to live and work after relocating from his native Ohio. It did not make me fall in love with the Polish capital, but it made me want to visit it.
Erupcja showed at the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival.
