Afire

Fires rage around a pompous novelist and his awkward desires in Christian Petzold’s sharp comedy drama.

Self-important author Leon joins his best friend on a summer holiday near the Baltic Sea to complete his novel. When they arrive, they find their house is already occupied by a beautiful, care-free woman who challenges Leon to open up. Meanwhile, forest fires rage around them.

Unfolding like a modern-day fable, Christian Petzold’s latest film is a humorous commentary on artists, relationships and storytelling that asks how we might find meaning in our lives against a backdrop of existential peril.