The Blaze Review
Screened as part of Melbourne’s Europa! Europa! Film Festiva, En plein feu or The Blaze, is a harrowing tale of father and son fighting to survive during catastrophic fires in the south of France.
Simone (Alex Lutz) lives with his elderly father Joseph (André Dussollier) in a small but heavily forested area in the south of France. As we enter the story the two have already been preparing for evacuations from surrounding fires, with a number of false alarms.
While Simone and Joseph’s local knowledge of the area acts as their saving grace, as the heat is laid on possible escape routes are running thin and it’s looking like a dead end for our two protagonists.
The Blaze feeds into a new generation of film, as the climate continues to change we will see more of these ‘eco thrillers’ that follow the interpersonal relationships and arcs that come together when faced with disaster.
Before leaving their home Joseph is seen blessing the house for protection and saying goodbye to their local church, aptly setting the biblical tone going forward. The surrounding area, and the film itself, is engulfed in raining fire, which in many tales depicts a form of punishment or cleansing of those who have sinned. In this case, could Director Quentin Reyn be hinting at the climate catastrophes that will continue to befall us following our sins against the planet?
Undertones to this story of survival is the relationship of father and son. Not just our main characters but also the mostly unseen son of Simone, whose strained connection to his father is apparent from the first scenes. Following a family tragedy, there is an apparent breakdown in the relationship between Simone, his now ex-wife and their son. This area of distinct internal conflict for Simone acts almost as a character on its own throughout the film.
The set up of this arc was done beautifully in the opening of the film but becomes over simplified in the latter parts, particularly with some relatively unnecessary flashbacks. The evidence of what has shaped Simone and his family structure is clear without these, the man literally wearing it on his sleeve. This happens again with the introduction of Sophie Parel’s character, Claire, who seems to be added just to provide some very on-the-nose parallels.
These additional details don’t add clarity, but rather sit as small deterrences from our key story and detract from the audience’s experience of pivotal relationships, taking them out of what is otherwise a wholly immersive experience.
Simone encounters some understandable delirium in the latter part of this film, with brief references to a French folktale that will likely be lost on a wider audience but pay homage to Reyn who as a child called this area home.
Both Director Quentin Reynaud and lead actor Alex Lutz are Europa! Europa! Alumni Film festival alumni and favourites of the festival. While Lutz has been previously known to French audiences as a comedic actor, his work with Reynaud has allowed a considerable branch out of his talents. Coming onto this film, Lutz simply asked Quentin when and where to be to start filming for their next project, so comfortable and confident in their working relationship he knew there was more to come. Clearly this partnership is sparking positive results, with Quentin hinting this wasn’t the last we’d see of this pair.
What is done so well throughout the film is the feeling of devastation and utter claustrophobia. The art department, production management and special effects teams were clearly put through their paces to create an atmosphere that allows the audience to feel like they themselves are in the flames. Lutz and Dussollier provide highly nuanced performances, depicting larger than life emotions with just the slightest adjustment to their tone and body language. With such a small stage to work within for much of the story this style of performance was highly vital.
There were some minor scientific inaccuracies that were likely placated for theatrical release. The natural events of this film are not dissimilar to those that inspired it, that of historic wildfires that have ripped through southern France and the devastating bushfires southern parts of Australia saw in 2019/2020. This film will hit home for both audiences alike. Australian audiences have also been treated to an early release of this film which doesn’t debut in its home country until early March.
