Berlinale Bloggers 2023  “Afire” – An Unusual Comedy-Drama by Christian Petzold

“Afire”, the comedy-drama by German director Christian Petzold, won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 73rd Berlinale. Blogger Ahmed Shawky has followed Petzold's career through the last decade and provides insights into the second part of the film trilogy about the natural elements.

It is among the most enjoyable experiences of a film critic or cinema lover to follow the career of a talented director, one work at a time, to see how the artist ably develops, builds, and shapes a filmography that bears his unique style and thought. This is exactly how I feel about German director Christian Petzold, who has seen the pinnacle of his cinematic success over the course of the last ten years. Those were the same years in which I have had the pleasure of attending the Berlinale regularly and watching Petzold‘s films one by one. No other contemporary director is as dedicated to the festival as Petzhold, who has always chosen Berlin for the world premiere of his films.

“Afire” is Petzold’s newest film. It is the second part of a trilogy about the natural elements which began with “Undine,” winner of the  best actress award at the Berlinale 2020 and revolving around water as its main element. As the title suggests, fire is at the heart of his current movie, while his coming film is expected to be linked to earth.

A Comedy Nobody Saw Coming

“Afire” comes with an unexpected dose of humour – I say unexpected, as Petzold’s work is not usually known for its comedic effects. This is especially the case in the first half of the film, as we follow the protagonists, a writer hoping to finish a draft of his second novel and his best friend, who is working on a portfolio for his art school application, through the forest on their way to a working retreat. When they arrive at the house, they find it already occupied by a young woman (Paula Beer, Petzolds newest muse) and forced to share. In the meantime, they seem little concerned about the wildfires that rage in the area.
  At the centre of the film is Leon (Thomas Schubert), a writer, who soon reveals his selfishness and ignorance of other people’s feelings and positions. He is a big child who acts with needless hostility and pushes those around him away. Any sane person sees how this environment could help him both artistically and personally, to clear his thoughts and rid himself of the fears that led to his writer’s block, but he cannot see.

Between the External and the Internal

While his best friend, the unexpected house mate, and her lover, a lifeguard, engage in a healthy social life, Leon refuses to join them, driven by childish impulsiveness and the fears of a writer who is incapable of creativity, which he shrouds in arrogance and hostility. He does not yet realise that fate has surprises in store for all of them, which will eventually force him to change who he is.

In “Afire,” Petzold proves a remarkable ability to understand the complexities of his characters, above all Leon’s. We can almost sense the tension between Leon’s inner fragile state and the violence he projects on the outside, all running in parallel to the poetics of surrounding relationships and their tragic development. The film thus grants us an exceptional perspective on the creative process amid the “fire” of others and modern life “afire,” metaphorically and sometimes literally.

February 2023