Afire: Between Eric Rohmer and Kar Wai Wong Spoilers

The conceptual supremacy of Petzold

Among contemporary German film directors, Christian Petzold is one of the most highly regarded. Known for his acclaimed 'Gespenster Trilogy' (The State I Am In, Gespenster, Yella) and 'Migrant Trilogy' (Barbara, Phoenix, Transit), Petzold has earned a good reputation in international cinema. He continued with a series of works on the theme of elements. The first film in the series is Undine (2020), based on the goddess of water. Afire is based on the spirit of fire, which is the second film in this series and won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.

By looking through Petzold's works, we can identify some features. Petzold's distinctive trait lies in his intellectually charged narratives, often delving into specific themes with almost essayistic depth. He emphasises the paramount importance of concepts in his storytelling, interweaving classical mythological figures with the plight of modern Germans (Phoenix). The upheaval of the Jews during the World War II era collides with the fate of the displaced Arab refugees in contemporary Europe (Transit), showing a marvellous chemical reaction.

However, while his films are conceptually captivating, they sometimes need more vitality. This problem is particularly evident in Undine, where the attempt to merge a classical water spirit with a contemporary German diver is intriguing in the text. Still, when translated into images, it easily falls into the metaphysical and mundane dilemma.

Acknowledging this flaw in Undine, Petzold takes a lighter approach in his latest work, Afire. The metaphysical elements are hidden deeper, while the mundane aspects of daily life are brought to the forefront. The story is set during a summer vacation, where a young and troubled writer, Leon, is invited to his friend Felix's seaside holiday home. He attempts to finish his novel in a quiet environment while awaiting the judgment of his publisher. However, during this time, he gets to know a beautiful and lively girl, Nadja, and her elusive lover, Devid. Leon's inner world is stirred, but the impending deadline and the burden of intellectualism complicate Leon's feelings for Nadja, leading to a series of comedy and drama in the lives of the four people. Meanwhile, a wildfire spreads inland, serving as an unsettling background to the story. No one knows if this carefree vacation will end in the raging flames.

Like the title of many of Petzold's former works, 'Afire' is also full of potential. The title metaphorically refers to the sky tinted red by the wildfire and the palpable sexual tension among the characters, echoing the apocalyptic imagery from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. However, the story fails to fully realise the potential embodied in its title. The immense destructive power of the wildfire is downplayed, overshadowed by scenes of a wild boar in the forest and the off-screen deaths of two auxiliary characters. The film's 'Memento mori ' motif lacks a seamless integration with the characters' desires. Ultimately, Afire is still the story of a self-centred male who chases after the heroine and awakens in the process. Whether it's his best friend, his publisher, the fire and death, or even the heroine herself, they all seem to be tools that lead him to his awakening. There remains to be a significant gap between Petzold's compelling conceptual framework and his narrative execution. While Afire marks an improvement from his previous works, this gap still needs to be bridged.

The master of hidden, unspoken melodrama

Compared to his subdued performance in narrative and expression, Petzold's writing on romantic relationships and his ability to create an atmosphere of love are outstanding. Germans have always been known for their seriousness, which easily makes people forget that both Romantic poets like Goethe and Hölderlin and masterful playwrights like Douglas Sirk and Rainer Werner Fassbinder grew up along the Rhine River. To some extent, Petzold is also an heir to the romantic legacy of his predecessors.

What sets Petzold apart is his ability to infuse his romantic narratives with both German-style desperate romanticism and a rare subtlety found in European and American creators. Compared to physical possessive desires, Petzold's male protagonists appear more intrigued by the souls of the people they adore. Yet, their pursuit is marked by shyness and awkwardness, leaving the endpoint of happiness seemingly unattainable. Correspondingly, female protagonists in Petzold's film resemble elusive spirits who are impossible to define or capture. They are free souls, openly displaying their affections yet refusing to be reduced to a fixed symbol, resisting objectification. Thus, Petzold's films depict a dance between pursuit and evasion, a game played since the dawn of male-female interactions, destined to continue until the end of time.

In Afire, the setting of a summer holiday, a country house, a light tone, and the dialogue of the characters imbued with an artist and intellectual aura somewhat reminds us of the gentle mockery where indecisive straight male characters are treated with affectionate irony in Eric Rohmer's films. It also brings to mind Rohmer's subtle insights into the complexities of emotions beneath the comedic tone.

Simultaneously, Petzold's talent for crafting romantic scenarios, his intense affection for his female characters, and the heightened emotional relationships between male and female characters due to their evasion and restraint all bring to mind another master of creating romantic atmospheres—Kar Wai Wong. The plots of these movies might quickly fade from our minds, but Paula Beer's radiant smile and her red dress will linger in our memories, seen through the admiring gaze of a male director who cannot fully comprehend her thoughts and feelings but remains filled with admiration.