Categories: Reviews

Review of ‘Fire’: When love hurts

Review of ‘Fire’: When love hurts

Claire Denis directs Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon in this steamy tale.

    On this occasion, Claire Denis adapts a novel by French writer Christine Angot, screenwriter of her previous ‘Un sol interior’ (2017) and author with whom she shares her vision of affective relationships as something terribly complex, sometimes violent, and the expression of emotions and conflicts through the body. ‘Fire’ is a melodrama about a love triangle: the relationship between Sara (Juliette Binoche) and Jean (Vincent Lindon), a couple who have been together for many years, is complicated by the appearance of an old friend of both (Grégoire Colin) and ex-lover of hers.

    Denis part of that reunion to address from the outburst, without fear of exposing their characters to ridicule (because, in the face of intensity, we can be), the unpredictability of the loving feeling. ‘Fire’ speaks from the skin, with the camera attentive to the body of the characters –which imposes itself on the story and guides its movements, its rhythm and its pauses–, the ambiguity of emotions, the contradictions of affection and the conflict between thought and desire.

    For fans of Claire Denis and overflowing melodramas

    The worst: when he moves away from the triangle to raise other issues.

    DATA SHEET

    Address: claire denis Distribution: Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, Grégoire Colin, Mati Diop Country: France Year: 2022 Release date: 30–09-2022 Gender: Drama Script: Christine Angot, Claire Denis Duration: 116 minutes

    Synopsis: When they met, Sara was living with François, Jean’s best friend. Now, Jean and Sara love each other and have been living together for 10 years. One day, Sara sees François on the street. He doesn’t notice her, but she has a feeling that her life could suddenly change. At the same time, François reconnects with Jean for the first time in years and proposes that they work together again. From here, everyone will lose control.

    Source: Fotogramas