Erupcja
Charli xcx stars in this wry indie as a woman whose city break to Warsaw goes awry when she reconnects with an old friend in Pete Ohs' intimate slice-of-life drama
Bethany and Rob should be having a lovely romantic holiday – Warsaw is not a conventional couple’s getaway, but Bethany, with her love of 19th-century art and four previous visits behind her, suggested it rather than Paris. But their carefully planned itinerary is derailed by two things: a volcanic eruption in Italy that grounds all flights for three days, and Bethany’s nocturnal search for Nel, the woman who made her first trips so memorable.
Erupcja is a breezy affair. The score (wistful, saxophone-heavy) and naturalistic dialogue (the three leads all receiving writers’ credits) help director Pete Ohs soak up Warsaw’s quotidian existence in its 71-minute runtime; pedestrian crossings are shot with as much love as the great museums. An unnamed narrator, while slightly overused, gives the impression that viewers are peering into everyday lives, sharing in the characters’ intimate wins and worries, even as the coincidences stack up with something beyond serendipity. Ohs, also responsible for the cinematography, lingers on buildings at sunset and bodies in space, no words audible, as the nights stretch on.
While Charli xcx and Góra excel at palpable longing, lending Bethany and Nel’s missed connection genuine poignancy, the relationship between Bethany and Rob somewhat strains credulity – even when taking into account the stereotypical obliviousness of the cishet white man. Therefore, mileage may vary as to the efficacy and impact of this love triangle. But the smaller characters the trio encounters are memorably drawn, adding to a slice-of-life that's been so effectively rendered through the camera’s gaze.
Released 5 Jun by Vertigo; certificate 15