by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
Katia and Maurice Krafft could be described in many ways, whether it be dedicated, foolhardy, passionate, or reckless, but two things are for certain. First, Katia and Maurice were madly in love. Second, they loved volcanoes.
Fire of Love tells the story of married French volcanologists Katia and Maurice. Known for getting within feet of highly dangerous lava flows, the Kraffts left behind hundreds of hours worth of volcanic footage, which director Sara Dosa and her co-editors Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput laboriously combed through in order to faithfully tell their story.
Katia and Maurice died on June 3, 1991 in a pyroclastic flow on Japan’s Mount Unzen. The Kraffts believed that it was better to live dangerously doing what they loved, even if the same passion that brought them joy and purpose would be the thing to end their lives. Though their story has the potential to create a dour, melancholy documentary, Fire of Love is anything but. Less interested in presenting scientific information than in providing you with an experience, Fire of Love features some of the most stunning and evocative imagery you will ever see, and a brisk 93-minute runtime makes this one of the easiest recommendations of the year.
The film notes that the Kraffts did not view themselves as filmmakers, but the results tell a different story. The couple’s footage features skillful use of light and shadow, epic depictions of scale, and dynamic use of motion and color. When filming reaction shots, Maurice would occasionally shoot multiple takes in order to increase the dramatic effect. The Fire of Love filmmakers could have simply let the Kraffts’ awe-inspiring footage play without interruption, and it would have made for a compelling enough nature documentary, but the film’s evocative editing and emotional narration from Miranda July create a truly singular experience unlike any other.
One would be hard-pressed to find a single person Fire of Love does not impress. The Kraffts are endlessly charming, quirky, and delightful to watch, and their passion for learning and educating others about volcanoes is contagious. Viewers should not expect to gain anything more than a cursory explanation of how volcanic eruptions occur, but the film has a genuinely unique style that transcends your typical Netflix or nature documentary. Fire of Love finds the perfect balance between its artful presentation and mainstream accessibility, and it is absolutely worth seeing on the big screen.
Score: 9/10
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